Michael Schade expressed his preferences before the draw in Nyon. “If I had the choice then it definitely wouldn’t be Barcelona. On the other hand, I’d be very happy with Leicester as opponents in the Round of 16,” declared the Bayer 04 CEO. All speculation was over shortly after that as the balls were pulled out at the UEFA draw – and neither club was the opponent. The Werkself meet Atlético Madrid in the last sixteen in February and March of next year in the repeat of the draw two years ago.
“It’s a huge challenge and we’re happy with the draw. Madrid is a great city and always worth a visit plus we have an account to settle. We were absolutely on equal terms two years ago. We hope we will have a full squad next February,” said Michael Schade.
Rudi Völler: “We can compete”
Sporting director Rudi Völler stated: “Atlético are a tough opponent but we showed we can compete two years ago. We’re looking forward to this tie and we’ll do all we can to produce two great performances.” And Jonas Boldt, sporting manager, said: “It’s a tough nut to crack but it was clear it would be a tough draw. The players know what to expect against Atlético. But we can be optimistic given our previous performances in the Champions League. We’ll try to establish an advantage at home at the BayArena.”
Bayer 04 beat Atlético 1-0 in the first leg at the BayArena two years ago thanks to a goal from Hakan Calhanoglu. The Spaniards won the return match at the Estadio Vicente Calderón by the same score – and ran out winners in the penalty shoot-out. The two group matches against Atlético in the Europa League in 2010/11 ended all square in 1-1 draws.
The Rojiblancos have won the Europa League twice (2010, 2012) and were last Spanish champions in 2014. The club reached the Champions League Final in 2014 and 2016 where they lost out to city rivals Real; once in extra time and on penalties this year. Stars in the team coached by Argetinian firebrand Diego Simeone include French stikers Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro plus the Spaniard Fernando Torres, the Belgian midfielder Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco as well as defenders Filipe Luis, Juanfran and Diego Godin. Atlético finished the group stage comfortably ahead of German record champions Bayern Munich, winning all games within the exception of the final match against Bayern (0-1).
Round of 16 draw (first legs on 14/15 February and 21/22 February, second legs on 7/8 March and 14/15 March):
Manchester City v Monaco
Real Madrid v Napoli
Benfica v Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich v Arsenal
Porto v Juventus
Bayer 04 v Atlético Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain v Barcelona
Sevilla v Leicester City
Tickets available from Tuesday 13 December
Tickets go on sale to Club members on Tuesday 13 December at 10.00 CET via the following methods. Open sale starts on Thursday 15 December at 10.00 CET.
• Onlineathttp://ticketshop.bayer04.de
• By phone at 01805/040404 (0.14 euros/min. from German landline)
• In personat theBayer 04 shops Leverkusen-City, Bergisch Gladbach and Solingenor from Service OST at the BayArena East Stand
Calling all Bayer 04 fans: The Werkself will play Pisa SC, newly promoted to Serie A, at the BayArena as part of the season opener. The clash with the club from Tuscany is on Tuesday, 5 August with the kick-off at 18:00 CET. Entrance to the stadium with a wide range of entertainment provided is possible from 15:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales for the season opener.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen have signed the 17-year-old forward Dustin Buck. The Germany youth international joins from the youth set-up at FC Augsburg. The technically gifted and fast attacker will strengthen the Werkself U19 squad.
Show moreSeveral Bayer 04 Legends, Bayer executives, club officials, current defender Arthur and, of course, dozens of enthusiastic children turned out on Saturday on the south side of Sao Paulo for the official opening of the Bayer 04 Football Academy, located at Club Bayer on the campus of Bayer Brazil.
Show moreA great night for 'Calle': Bayer 04 new signing Carlotta Wamser helped Germany to an opening win in the Women's Euro in Switzerland with an impressive performance. After coming on as a substitute in the 2-0 victory over Poland in Group C, the winger provided an assist and helped set up the second goal. The 21-year-old earned great praise from her coach and teammates in her first tournament match.
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