Bayer Leverkusen take on the visitors Villarreal in the round 8 match of UEFA Europa League – League Phase. The match will be played on Wednesday, January 28th at BayArena (Leverkusen).
Bayer managed to hold on for a year after the authors of the “Golden Double 2024” and still finished second in the Bundesliga. However, in the summer both Xabi Alonso left and several key figures departed the project, which made the task difficult from the very beginning. Even in these conditions, Ten Hag, who arrived only in the summer, managed to disappoint within a couple of months, and his replacement in September, Yulmand, has been coping better, though not without setbacks. The Champions League campaign has reflected this pattern: despite generally solid performances, there was a heavy 2–7 loss to PSG and several draws that kept qualification for the playoffs in doubt. In the previous round, they also lost away to Olympiacos, 0–2, making another slip unacceptable. At home, however, Bayer usually look more confident and structured. Their recent domestic form also suggests they are capable of responding strongly after defeats.
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The Yellow Submarine brought Marcelino back during the 2023/2024 campaign, and he corrected the situation by pulling the team out of a prolonged crisis. Last season ended with a top-five finish, level on points with Athletic. However, their return to the Champions League went wrong from the start, and later it was effectively sacrificed (along with, seemingly, the cup) in favor of La Liga, where performances allowed them to stay ahead of Atlético and even push close to Real Madrid. In the Champions League, a last-second home draw against Juventus remained their only real achievement, while they even lost to Pafos and Copenhagen. A week ago against Ajax, who also seemed to lack tournament motivation, Villarreal opened the scoring but then conceded and eventually suffered a comeback defeat in the 89th minute. Recent results show a clear lack of focus in Europe. Their continental campaign has looked more like a formality than a real objective.
The clubs met in the Europa League in 2011 and 2016. Villarreal won three times, and only the last meeting ended in a draw. It may sound simple, but the hosts are obliged to win. The bet is on a home victory for Bayer.
Prediction for the match: Bayer Leverkusen to win.
