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Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan Preview: Champions League Lineups, Team News, Predictions
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The 2024/25 Champions League matchday two group stage fixture between Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan takes place on Tuesday 1 October at 21:00 CET in Germany at BayArena.
Carlo Garganese and Nima Tavallaey preview the big game. We look at the probable XIs, team news, injuries and suspensions, and break down the game tactically before offering our predictions.
This is an extended clip from this weeks Q & A episode of The Italian Football Podcast available only to patrons on Patreon.com/TIFP
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Transcript
Introduction and Preview Criticism
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome Okay, let's well, let's do a preview. on on we just got We had complaints earlier today that we only did ah previews in the Champions League on on the the games against the Premier League team, so let's do one on a non-Premier League team on against Brian
Milan's Recent Form and Champions League Stakes
00:00:30
Speaker
Leverkusen. Well, of course, look it it's going to be a really, really hard game for for for for Milan.
00:00:35
Speaker
And we were recording this before their game um at the weekend in Serie A, where they they'll play on Friday at home to Lecce, which coming on the back of beating Inter in the Derby, you would think they have to win and will surely win that game at home, riding off that. So they go into the game against Leverkusen with a bit of confidence, three Serie A wins in a row. And Milan need to need to try and get a result in this game, at least to draw, because you know they do have damage to,
00:01:05
Speaker
done, that they need to prepare now, having lost their opening at a Champions League match, they won game against against Liverpool. If they lose this, they've got no points after after two games, then you know they they face a bit of an uphill task to to to to to qualify, don't they? So they need to try and get a result. um I think that surely they they they will go with a 4-4-2 formation, you would think, won't
Milan's Strategy: Formation and Lineup
00:01:29
Speaker
they? i mean if they if they've If they've had that result and that great performance against Inter, they stick with the 4-4-2, they get the win against Letcher, they stick with that against Leverkusen. For me, if I'm but if i'm picking the team, I pick the same ah would stick with the same 11 that Milan had against Inter.
00:01:50
Speaker
same 11 against Lecce, same 11 against Leverkusen. That's what I would do. Obviously, we need to see how they play against Lecce. Are any players tired? But I would try and stick to the set as close to the same team as possible with Milata and Abraham up front, with Gabbier at centre back, with midfield two of Forfana and Reinders. I would try and stick with a winning team.
00:02:18
Speaker
I'm inclined to agree with
Serie A vs. Champions League: What's the Priority?
00:02:20
Speaker
with all of that. I think their focus has to be more, I think, on the seria, because given that it's it's been such a sluggish start for everyone, um I would rather they focused on the seria and kind of got their you know bread and butter sorted there.
00:02:37
Speaker
um But they will need to rotate, of course, in the Champions League. They can't write that off completely either for financial reasons. So I mean, currently they've got they've got everyone available with the exception of Florenzi, who's got an HCL out for the basically for the season. Benis says out until the new year with a with a calf muscle ah injury and Sportiello, the backup goalkeeper is is out at the moment as well. So we're probably looking at a probable team.
00:03:04
Speaker
of Mignon and Emerson, Anteo as the fullbacks, Gabbia and Tomoori as the centre backs, Liao and Pudasic on the wide roles for Farna and Reinders at centre mid and then up front, Meretta and Abraham, but they like you said, there could be a bit of of of of rotation.
Leverkusen's Style and Key Players
00:03:26
Speaker
um I mean,
00:03:28
Speaker
As for Leverkusen, we saw last season just what an incredible season they had. They were unbeaten the whole season until that Europa League defeat to Atalanta. Won the Bundesliga, won the Cup, so close to winning that treble. Incredible team. They've got a very special young manager and in Xabi Alonso. They play very modern football. um They take the game to the opposition, they they attack, they press, they keep the ball brilliantly, they dominate games.
00:03:56
Speaker
and and they've you know they've got some really special players you know boni Boniface and Wertz are fantastic players and they've both started the season brilliantly seven goals between them already and you know and then out wide you know with Frimpong and with with Grimaldo they've got you know a system machines there out wide and in defence Jonathan Tarr who nearly went to Bayern this summer and of course Jaco who's been brilliant since he's since he he joined from from from Arsenal last year. So yeah they're going to be a very, very, very, very dangerous team. and They've scored a lot of goals this this this this season so far. and But if there is one one kind of ray of hope for Milan, it is that they have been conceding.
Defensive Weaknesses of Leverkusen
00:04:42
Speaker
a lot of goals this season. I mean, their last game, I watched it against Wolfsburg. They won 4-3. They conceded also three goals at home to so Leipzig at the end of August. They lost that game 3-2. They conceded also two goals against Borussia Monchengladbach in the first game of the season, and they conceded two goals in the Super Cup against Stuttgart. So that's four games this season in which they've conceded two or or more goals, and they have already lost they They already have lost the game and they are playing at the weekend before the Milan game. They're playing against Bayern Munich away, which is a huge, huge game. They're playing a day later than Milan. They're playing on the Saturday, whereas Milan are playing Lecce on the Friday. So you hope that a tougher game a day later, three days before they play against Milan, and the Milan game was on the 1st of October, which is which is the Tuesday.
00:05:32
Speaker
in Germany at the Bayerina so you hope that that can help Milan as well. I think that could be a bit of hope for them. They will give them spaces to break into for someone like a Liao or Pulisip so hopefully that can take advantage of that.
Strategic Focus for Milan
00:05:52
Speaker
Yeah, but i the way I see it is that Milan should, the games that Milan should win in the Champions League is Dinamo, Girona, Cervanaz-Vesda, Slovan, like these club Brigge, like the Liverpools and Real Madrid Liverpool ones, they don't really need to win.
00:06:10
Speaker
And if they win the other five, they should probably, they'll get 15 points. That's, that's good enough to qualify. Could even get them, who knows, top, whatever. So, you know, I, I think they should probably right now just focus on the Serie A more than anything. I think because like, even if they were to lose to Liverpool's and the, the, the remaining those games, I said, they're all very well, simple games and games Milan should actually win. So I'd rather they just focus on the Serie A from a Milan perspective.
00:06:40
Speaker
Yeah. The Levocus have no injuries, by the way, as it stands. And they are, um they play a three, four, two, one formation. Milan, obviously four, four, two, two, four, four, two, or four, four, one, one. And they, yeah, so there's an interesting clash there of, of, of systems.
Match Predictions and Outcome Expectations
00:06:59
Speaker
And, um, yeah, it will be, yeah, it's going to be very interesting to see, to see how, uh, how Milan do in this, in this game.
00:07:07
Speaker
I predict, ah I think, a draw or a Leverkusen win, because if if I'm not mistaken, you know, Leverkusen are at home and they are strong at home. um So I don't know, I'd focus more on literature and because they've got Fiorentina immediately after that. And then then they've got well, then it's the international break, isn't it? Yeah. So I put it to high scoring win for Leverkusen. I can see like a 3-2. Yeah, something like that. um But for me, I'd focus more on the Serie A right now, if I were Mila.