Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich: Gamethread and Live Blog - Lineups are out! Same squad as last week except Urbig

No surprises in the starting XI for the second leg. Kingsley Coman and his defensive efforts earned the starting nod over Leroy Sané on the left wing. The go-to backline is ready to roll but Hiroki Itō, Eric Dier, and Josip Stanišić will be itching to close out the victory in the second half.

Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen will square off for the fifth time in the third competition this campaign. Bayern Munich dominated the first leg with a 3-0 win at the Allianz Arena and will have full control of the second leg until Leverkusen scores at least two goals. Leverkusen has only managed two goals against Bayern this season in the four meetings.

Both Bundesliga matches ended in a draw and Leverkusen knocked out Bayern in the DFB-Pokal. Since Alonso took over the managerial duties at Leverkusen, Bayern failed to beat them in the first six attempts before getting over the hump last week. Bayern will need to maintain its focus and avoid looking ahead to playing against the winner of the Feyenoord-Inter Milan series. Inter Milan currently holds a 2-0 lead after the first leg.

Bayern is currently in first place of the Bundesliga, eight points clear of Leverkusen. Leverkusen finished the Champions League group stage in sixth place, avoiding the elimination round that saw Bayern skirt by Celtic. Leverkusen is also the clear favorite headed into the DFB-Pokal semifinal.

Odds: Bayern (+150), Draw (+240), Leverkusen (+170)

Prediction: Bayern earns a draw in the match 1-1, but wins on aggregate 4-1. With Leverkusen missing several key players and down 3-0 in the aggregate, Bayern will dominate possession for the first 30 minutes without actually getting a shot on goal. Xabi Alonso will give the signal and start the high press but Joshua Kimmich will find Kingsley Coman on a diagonal run behind the defense. Coman will calmly find a wide open Jamal Musiala. Leverkusen will find a cheap goal in the dying stages of the match but it will be too little too late as Bayern comfortably extinguishes the flame on Leverkusen’s Champions League season.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany

Date: Tuesday, March 11th, 2025

Time: 9:00 pm local time, 4:00 pm EST

TV/streaming: Paramount Plus, Find Your Country

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