The game will be refereed by William Cullom supported by his fellow Scottish match officials. Read on for stats and facts ahead of #B04atleti:
Schade: "Now we want more"
There is no doubt that the Spaniards are the favourites tonight at the BayArena having qualified for the final of Europe's premier club competition twice in the past three years. It is equally clear that Bayer 04 go into the clash with the Rojiblancos in enthusiastic and confident mood as Michael Schade emphasised. "Our young team has already achieved great things by qualifying for the Round of 16 but now we want more. Our target is the quarter-finals – regardless of the strength of Atlético," declared the CEO.
Werkself cross Simeone’s path
Diego Simeone is often a partisan livewire on the touchline at Atlético matches but he was full of respect for the hosts at the pre-match press conference. "It won't be easy for us. Bayer 04 have a good team who have gained confidence recently. Havertz and Brandt are very quick and you always have to look out for Chicharito as he's tough to handle," said the Madrid coach. The Argentinian manager led his team out against the Werkself in the Round of 16 two years ago and also encountered them as a player: In the group stage of the 1999/2000 Champions League campaign he played for Lazio against Leverkusen. Both games ended all square at 1-1 with Simeone coming off the bench in both matches.
Da Costa’s baptism of fire in the snow
Tonight's meeting of Bayer 04 and Atlético is the fifth competitive match on the European stage between the two clubs. The first two games came in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2010/11 with both ending in 1-1 draws (Eren Derdiyok scored for Bayer 04 at the Estadio Vicente Calderón and Patrick Helmes netted at the BayArena). Two years ago, the Werkself won 1-0 at the BayArena thanks to a goal from Hakan Calhanoglu. The return game saw Atlético win 1-0 through a Mario Suarez strike and the Spanish side won the tie 3-2 on penalties. Three of the current Bayer 04 squad played against Atlético in 2010: Stefan Kießling, Lars Bender and Danny da Costa with the then 17-year-old celebrating his baptism of fire in European football in heavy snow at the BayArena in December
Bayer 04 looking for another first
Roger Schmidt's team are unbeaten in the last ten home games in UEFA competitions, picking up five wins and five draws along the way. The last defeat was a 1-0 reverse against AS Monaco in November 2014. And, with the Werkself coming through the group stage unbeaten for the first time in eleven Champions League campaigns, they are looking to achieve another first of winning a Round of 16 tie. When Bayer 04 reached the final in 2002 there was a second group stage leading straight to the quarter-finals.
Brandt’s record, Chicha’s winner
Julian Brandt scored his first goal in his 19th game in the Champions League in the 3-0 win against AS Monaco in the last game of the group stage – making him the youngest goalscorer for the Werkself in Europe's premier club competition. Brandt scored at the age of 20 years and 219 days. Chicharito also has very positive experiences in the Champions League against Atlético. He played for Real Madrid when they knocked the Colchoneros out at the quarter-final stage in 2014/15: After a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Estadio Vicente Calderón he decided the fate of Atlético in the return match at the Bernabeu scoring the only goal of the game on 88 minutes.
Atlético’s good record
The Rojiblancos are in the Champions League quarter-finals for the ninth time. Last season, the Spaniards beat PSV Eindhoven 8-7 on penalties after two goalless matches in the Round of 16. That was the first time in the history of the UEFA Champions League that a tie in the knockout stages has ended 0-0 in both legs. Atlético have won out every time in the last seven two-legged encounters with German teams. In 20 away games in the Champions League since September 2013 Atlético have clocked up nine wins and five draws. The 18 matches to date in Germany have brought five wins, three draws and ten defeats for the Colchoneros. Koke, Filipe Luis and the currently injured players Diego Godin and Tiago were part of the team that last won in Germany in 2011/12 with a 2-1 victory over Hannover 96 in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
#nextLEVel
Ahead of the home game against Atlético, Bayer 04 have made it possible for all fans to tweet their support using the hashtag #nextLEVel via StadiumVision to the BayArena.
Two Saturdays, one Friday and one Sunday: The dates for the Bayer 04 Women's team games on matchdays 16 to 19 have been finalised. Three of the four matches scheduled by the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday will be played at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
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Despite a courageous display, the Bayer 04 Women missed out on a surprise at the start of the second half of the Bundesliga season. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team lost 3-0 to league leaders Bayern Munich on Monday night. An early goal from the clinical visitors, a disputed penalty and another spot-kick prevented Leverkusen, who are seventh in the table on 22 points from 14 games, from picking up a point in front of 3,011 spectators at the sold-out Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
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The Werkself rang in the Black and Red festive season with an emotional visit to Klinikum Leverkusen. Kristin Kögel, Melissa Friedrich and Louisa Remien from the Bayer 04 Women's team and Jonas Hofmann, Janis Blaswich and Niklas Lomb from the first team visited the young patients on the children's ward and, for the first time, on the ‘Zeitinsel’ children's palliative care unit. They brought a host of lovingly wrapped presents ensuring a big surprise for young and old alike.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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