"We got off to a bad start in the group. We shouldn't have lost against Moscow. We did better in Turin but left empty-handed," said the head coach. "Now we have to take a lot of risks tomorrow if we're going to win the game." Easier said than done as the Madrid side keep it tight at the back. "Atletico concede very few goals but we normally score a lot – unfortunately not last week but we have the quality including in away games," said Bosz ahead of the seventh meeting for the Werkself with Atletico on the European stage.
There have already been two ties in the Round of 16 in Europe's premier club competition – the Champions League campaign in 2016/17 ended with a 4-2 away defeat and a goalless draw at home; it was much closer in 2014/15 when the Werkself lost 3-2 on penalties. This time, "we want to show that we can get a result in this group," said Julian Baumgartlinger before emphasising: "We won't give up without a fight. The quality of the opposition is well known. They are compact, quick at the back, fast in transition and able to counter-attack really well." Baumgartlinger remains undaunted: "We want to play our own game."
Peter Bosz also spoke about his opposite number: "It's incredible what Diego Simeone has achieved here over the past few years. They compete at the top of the league every year and qualify for the Champions League – he's a phenomenon in my opinion. But I hope we don't help them out tomorrow." Atletico superstar Joao Felix will not be able to help his team either. The 19-year-old goalgetter is sidelined with an ankle injury. "He's one of the most talented players around. But we also know from the quality of the Atletico squad that they can replace him," said Baumgartlinger. "We haven't just prepared for Felix but also for the general style of play of our opponents."
Tomorrow's game will be refereed by Artur Soares Dias (Portugal).
The Werkself training camp officially began early on Tuesday morning with the landing in Rio de Janeiro. Ahead of the first session in the afternoon local time, bayer04.de profiles the talented youngsters from the youth teams who have travelled to Brazil.
Show morePreparations for the 2025/26 season are in full swing with the new head coach Erik ten Hag working for the start of the season in the middle of August. After the timings for the first matchdays in the forthcoming Bundesliga season were confirmed a few days ago, we now provide information on the first sale phase for match tickets. The early booker phase, exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members, brings some changes. Read on for further information.
Show moreBayer 04 are away to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal. The match is on Friday, 15 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) at the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena. Read on for the latest ticket information.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen will partner closely with parent-company Bayer during its preseason tour to Brazil from July 14 to 24 this month. The backing from Bayer of the “Bayer 04 Brasil Tour” has been crucial in organizing the groundbreaking training camp for ten days, plus a host of local activities and community events capped by the match against Flamengo's U20 team on July 18 at Estádio da Gávea.
Show moreThe bags are packed and Bayer 04 will set off for Brazil in a few hours. Over the next ten days, the team led by head coach Erik ten Hag will be the first Bundesliga side to hold a training camp in the country of the five-time World Cup winners. The Werkself will train at Flamengo’s Campus Ninho do Urubu under the motto ‘Esquenta!’ (warm up) and play a friendly against the U20 team of the world-famous club. Read on for training camp timetable.
Show more