Only one win in 2015, already four points adrift of a Champions League qualifying place and the risk of not achieving their aims: Bayer Leverkusen want to be a part of the Champions League, where all eyes in Europe will be on them as they take to the pitch on Wednesday evening, next season too. Their Champions League round of 16 first leg fixture against last year's finalists Atlético Madrid (20:45 CET, live on ZDF and Sky) signals the start of an important few weeks, both in regards to them achieving their goals and for manager Roger Schmidt.
They first play Atlético in the Champions League, before taking on SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga and then facing 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal: These three fixtures are all crucial for Bayer Leverkusen's underfire manager. If the current downward trend continues under Schmidt, he'll lose the backing of Bayer executive duo Rudi Völler und Michael Schade. "Of course I'm concerned about European qualification," said Völler, after watching Bayer drop from third to sixth place.
Schmidt knows that the encounter and getting a result against Atlético is like a Herculean task. "It's a huge task and we are definitely the underdogs. However, I still believe that there's a chance that we could come through and win across the two legs," he commented to ZDF. Schmidt wants to make a solid start ahead of the return leg in the Spanish capital on the 17th March.
Schmidt: "We're going to throw everything into it"
"We're going to dig in and throw absolutely everything we've got into it," announced Schmidt. The 04 manager will be without suspended defender Ömer Toprak as well as Lars Bender und Tin Jedvaj for the clash against the current third-placed team in the Spanish Primera Division, who boast an attack of Fernando Torres and ex-Bayern player Mario Mandzukic.
Regardless of the line-up, Bayer want to triumph in the last sixteen for the first time. They've not managed it on three previous attempts. Bayer lost 4-0 in the first leg against Paris St. Germain last year and lost the second leg 2-1. They were beaten 3-1 at home and 7-1 away against FC Barcelona in the 2011-12 season. They fared marginally better against FC Liverpool in the 2004-05 season but still lost 3-1.
Only one win in 2015, already four points adrift of a Champions League qualifying place and the risk of not achieving their aims: Bayer Leverkusen want to be a part of the Champions League, where all eyes in Europe will be on them as they take to the pitch on Wednesday evening, next season too. Their Champions League round of 16 first leg fixture against last year's finalists Atlético Madrid (20:45 CET, live on ZDF and Sky) signals the start of an important few weeks, both in regards to them achieving their goals and for manager Roger Schmidt.
They first play Atlético in the Champions League, before taking on SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga and then facing 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal: These three fixtures are all crucial for Bayer Leverkusen's underfire manager. If the current downward trend continues under Schmidt, he'll lose the backing of Bayer executive duo Rudi Völler und Michael Schade. "Of course I'm concerned about European qualification," said Völler, after watching Bayer drop from third to sixth place.
Schmidt knows that the encounter and getting a result against Atlético is like a Herculean task. "It's a huge task and we are definitely the underdogs. However, I still believe that there's a chance that we could come through and win across the two legs," he commented to ZDF. Schmidt wants to make a solid start ahead of the return leg in the Spanish capital on the 17th March.
Schmidt: "We're going to throw everything into it"
"We're going to dig in and throw absolutely everything we've got into it," announced Schmidt. The 04 manager will be without suspended defender Ömer Toprak as well as Lars Bender und Tin Jedvaj for the clash against the current third-placed team in the Spanish Primera Division, who boast an attack of Fernando Torres and ex-Bayern player Mario Mandzukic.
Regardless of the line-up, Bayer want to triumph in the last sixteen for the first time. They've not managed it on three previous attempts. Bayer lost 4-0 in the first leg against Paris St. Germain last year and lost the second leg 2-1. They were beaten 3-1 at home and 7-1 away against FC Barcelona in the 2011-12 season. They fared marginally better against FC Liverpool in the 2004-05 season but still lost 3-1.
