Leverkusen v Atlético facts

Bayer Leverkusen have no margin for error as they welcome Atlético Madrid to Germany knowing a fourth successive defeat will end their hopes of finishing in the top two in Group D.

• A tight Matchday 3 fixture in Spain was settled in the home side's favour by an Álvaro Morata goal 12 minutes from time, giving Atlético seven points from their first three fixtures, level with Juventus – and seven ahead of a Leverkusen side who have lost every game, scored just one goal and trail third-placed Lokomotiv Moskva by three points.

Previous meetings
• Atlético were 4-2 aggregate victors when the teams met in the 2016/17 round of 16. All the goals came in the first leg in Germany, Saúl Ñíguez opening the scoring for the visitors, who came out on top despite a Stefan Savić own goal.

• The teams had met at the same stage of the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League. Each won their home game 1-0, Atlético going through 3-2 on penalties despite Koke missing one of their kicks in the shoot-out.

• The clubs played out two 1-1 draws in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage. Jupp Heynckes' Leverkusen ended up top of that section while the elimination of Quique Sánchez Flores' Atlético, then holders, was confirmed with the Matchday 6 draw at Leverkusen.

Form guide
Leverkusen
• Leverkusen kicked off this campaign by losing 1-2 at home to Lokomotiv and 3-0 at Juventus; the defeat at Atlético made it just two wins in their last 16 UEFA Champions League matches (D8 L6).

• Fourth in last season's Bundesliga, 2002 runners-up Leverkusen are in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 12th time, and the first since 2016/17. They have reached the last 16 or better in seven of their last eight campaigns, most recently getting to the 2016/17 round of 16 where they lost to Atlético (2-4 h, 0-0 a).

• Absent from Europe in 2017/18, for the first time in eight years, last season Leverkusen finished first in their UEFA Europa League section ahead of Zürich, AEK Larnaca and Ludogorets, but lost on away goals to Krasnodar in the round of 32 (0-0 a, 1-1 h).

• The Werkself have drawn seven of their last 13 European home games (W4 L2).

• In the UEFA Champions League, Leverkusen have won only one of their last seven matches at the BayArena (D4 L2).

• Leverkusen's last visit from a Liga club was that 4-2 defeat by Atlético in 2017, a result that ended a four-match unbeaten home record against Spanish clubs (W2 D2). Home and away, their 2015 success against Atlético is their only win in their last eight matches with Liga opposition (D3 L4).

Atlético
• On Matchday 1, goals in the final 20 minutes from Savić and Héctor Herrera helped Atlético fight back from 0-2 down to snatch a home draw against Juventus. Matchday 2 proved more straightforward for Diego Simeone's side, thanks to a 2-0 success at Lokomotiv.

• Second in Spain in 2018/19, this is Atlético's tenth UEFA Champions League group campaign; all but two of the previous nine have extended into the knockout stages.

• In last season's group stage, Atleti won 2-1 at Monaco on Matchday 1 before unexpectedly going down 4-0 at Dortmund on Matchday 3 – their joint heaviest European defeat – and recording a goalless draw at Club Brugge. They bowed out in the round of 16 after a 3-0 second-leg defeat at Juventus, losing 3-2 on aggregate.

• Despite the defeats at Dortmund and Juventus, Atlético have lost only three of their last 12 European away games, winning four.

• Atlético have lost only three of their last 25 matches in continental competition (W16 D6).

• Atlético have lost four of their last five matches in Germany, the exception that 2017 success at Leverkusen.

• The Rojiblancos have reached two UEFA Champions League and three UEFA Europa League finals in the last ten seasons.

Links and trivia
• Simeone faced Leverkusen twice as a player with Lazio in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League first group stage, appearing as a late substitute in 1-1 draws in both Germany and Italy.

• On 9 October Lucas Alario scored one goal and set up another as Argentina drew 2-2 in a friendly against a Germany side including Kai Havertz and Nadiem Amiri; Ángel Correa also featured for Argentina.

• Julian Baumgartlinger and Aleksandar Dragovic helped Austria to a 1-0 UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying win against Jan Oblak's Slovenia on 13 October.

Latest news

Leverkusen
• Four days after the Atlético defeat Leverkusen drew 2-2 against Werder Bremen.

• Leverkusen have won only one of their last seven matches in all competitions (D2 L4), and went down 2-1 at home to Bundesliga leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

• Bayer's sole success in that sequence came when they reached the last 16 of the German Cup with a 1-0 win against Bundesliga rivals Paderborn on 29 October.

• Lucas Alario scored the final goal against Bremen and the winning goal against Paderborn; he also provided the assist for Kevin Volland's goal on Saturday.

• Joel Pohjanpalo, who had been out since March 2018 due to persistent foot problems, made his first Leverkusen appearance in 587 days as a late substitute against Bremen. He had scored Finland's consolation goal in a 4-1 UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying loss in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 October.

• Wendell sustained a thigh injury on 18 October, returning against Mönchengladbach.

• Charles Aránguiz (metatarsal, thigh) and Daley Sinkgraven (thigh) both suffered injuries against Leipzig on 5 October; the former made his comeback as a substitute on Saturday.

• Leon Bailey, who had been out since 18 September and suffered another muscle injury (thigh) in training in mid-October, returned as a second-half substitute on Saturday, but was shown a late red card.

• Lars Bender had to be substituted in the first half against Paderborn due to a thigh injury and missed the Mönchengladbach game.

Atlético
• Héctor Herrera and Diego Costa made their 50th appearances in UEFA club competition on Matchday 3; Stefan Savić will reach the same mark when he next features.

• Atlético have drawn seven of their last 11 matches in all competitions, winning the other four games. They were held 1-1 at Sevilla on Saturday.

• Diego Simeone's side have kept seven clean sheets in their last ten matches, conceding only three goals.

• Atlético have won only two of their last nine league matches, but have lost only once in that sequence.

• Álvaro Morata has scored in Atlético's last four matches.

• Costa had a penalty saved at Sevilla, the third Atlético spot kick to be kept out by an opposition goalkeeper in the Liga this calendar year.

• João Félix (ankle) has not played since 19 October.

• Savić has been out since picking up a hamstring issue in Montenegro's 1-1 UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying draw with Bulgaria on 11 October.

• Šime Vrsaljko has not played since January due to a knee injury.