Athletico have drawn their last three games and have dropped to fourth in the Primera Division. Bayer 04 still expect a tough game though. “We need to put in a great performance if we want to progress,” said Schmidt. It appears that Josip Drmic will start; Stefan Kießling will be on the bench.
“Josip is doing well but he can get better,” said Schmidt after the striker scored a brace against VfB Stuttgart on Friday. The striker is echoing the sentiments of his coach: “In the first leg we were sensational. If we play the same way in the second leg, we can do something special.”
Bayer Leverkusen are hoping to reach the quarter finals of the Champions League tonight when they face Athletico Madrid in the second leg of their last 16 clash (20:45 CET). “We know that we could achieve something big,” said Simon Rolfes. Karim Bellarabi added that “We want to win and progress in this competition.”
The first leg ended 1-0 to Bayer 04 in Germany and they are expecting a tough game in the Estadio Vicente Calderon today. “We will make life tough for them and put up a good fight,” said Athletico head coach Diego Simeone after the weekend’s 0-0 draw against Espanyol.
“We’re outsiders”
“We know that it’s going to be tough in this stadium,” said Bayer 04 head coach Roger Schmidt ahead of the game. “We need to keep a cool head and make sure we don’t get provoked. We then have a chance. We’re outsiders, but we were in the first leg too. We need to put up a good fight in order to progress.”
Bayer have a poor record at this stage, having lost 7-1 to Barcelona and 4-0 to Paris St. Germain in games in previous years. When they reached the Final in 2002, the round of 16 didn’t exist. “We obviously respect them, but we go into the game in good spirits,” explained goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who hasn’t conceded in 480 minutes.
Bender to return
Bayer will be hoping to keep up their good record in front of the 52,000 supporters in Madrid. “We need to defend strongly and make sure we don’t neglect our defensive duties,” said Rolfes. “We need to find the right balance.” The skipper is likely to be reunited with Germany international Lars Bender in the middle of the park tonight.
Schmidt: "We need to put in a great performance"
Athletico have drawn their last three games and have dropped to fourth in the Primera Division. Bayer 04 still expect a tough game though. “We need to put in a great performance if we want to progress,” said Schmidt. It appears that Josip Drmic will start; Stefan Kießling will be on the bench.
“Josip is doing well but he can get better,” said Schmidt after the striker scored a brace against VfB Stuttgart on Friday. The striker is echoing the sentiments of his coach: “In the first leg we were sensational. If we play the same way in the second leg, we can do something special.”
