Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs Paris Saint Germain

Bayer Leverkusen, who are in 23rd place on the league phase table, host Paris Saint-Germain at the BayArena in what promises to be one of the standout fixtures of this Champions League round. Following a 1-1 draw with PSV on UCL Match Day 2, Leverkusen remain without a victory in this season’s UCL campaign. Meanwhile, these two sides have only met once before in European competition, during the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League Round of 16, when PSG dominated both legs — winning 4–0 in Leverkusen and 2–1 in Paris to progress comfortably on aggregate. Eleven years later, they meet again, but with both clubs now boasting evolved identities and renewed ambitions. Leverkusen enter this match with mixed continental form. After ending 2024 strongly with emphatic victories over Salzburg (5–0) and Internazionale (1–0), they have struggled to carry that momentum into 2025, winning just one of their six European matches this calendar year (D2 L3). They would be keen to reverse their fortunes when they host the Champions on Tuesday. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Christian Kofane in attack may be seen against PSG.

PSG arrive in Germany chasing history, having earned a point in the weekend’s comeback 3-3 draw with Strasbourg. The French champions are currently on a five-match winning streak in the Champions League, and victory in Leverkusen would equal their longest ever winning run in the competition—a six-game streak achieved between September and December 1994. Despite their impressive form, PSG’s record away to German opposition remains patchy: they have won just two of their last ten such away fixtures (D2 L6) and have failed to keep a clean sheet in all ten. Their last shutout in Germany came back in February 2014 — the 4–0 victory at this very ground. Meanwhile, Luis Enrique’s personal record in Europe is exceptional. Among coaches with 50+ Champions League games, Luis Enrique holds the highest win rate (65.6%) and boasts the second-best goals-per-game ratio (2.2) behind Pep Guardiola. The 55-year-old will be hoping those numbers come into play when his side makes the trip to Germany as they look to continue their perfect start to the current campaign following back-to-back victories which leaves them in 3rd place. A 4—3—3 formation with Bradley Barcola, Mayulu and Ibrahim Mbaye in attack is expected against Leverkusen.