Leverkusen vs Inter Milan facts

The title holders of Germany and Italy meet on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League as Leverkusen take on Inter Milan.

The visitors are one of three teams still unbeaten in the inaugural league phase and have 13 points having won their last four games, beating Leipzig 1-0 at San Siro on Matchday 5.

Leverkusen have ten points, bouncing back from a 4-0 loss at Liverpool on Matchday 4 with a 5-0 success at home to Salzburg last time out.

Previous meetings

Matches 3
Leverkusen wins 0
Inter wins 3
Draws 0
Leverkusen goals 3
Inter goals 7

2002/03 Champions League second group stage
Inter 3-2 Leverkusen
Leverkusen 0-2 Inter
Luigi Di Biagio scored twice in the first half-hour in Milan and, though Leverkusen pulled one back through Boris Živković, an own goal ten minutes from time by visiting goalkeeper Hans-Jörg Butt ultimately proved decisive despite França's added-time reply.

A goal in each half from Obafemi Martins and Emre Belözoğlu gave Inter victory in Germany.

2019/20 Europa League quarter-final
Inter 2-1 Leverkusen
All the goals came in the first half-hour of a one-off tie in the neutral German city of Düsseldorf, Nicolò Barella and Romelu Lukaku – the latter scoring for a record ninth successive Europa League game – putting Inter in control, Kai Havertz's reply not enough for Leverkusen.

Form guide

Leverkusen

Record vs Italian clubs: W7 D7 L15 F33 A47
Home record vs Italian clubs: W5 D4 L5

Leverkusen already have one home win against Italian visitors in this season's Champions League, Victor Boniface's goal earning a 1-0 victory against AC Milan on Matchday 2.

That was only Leverkusen's second victory in their last 13 games against Serie A sides – a run that includes eight defeats – and ended a five-match sequence without a home victory (D3 L2).

Leverkusen's previous game against Italian opponents was the 0-3 loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final at the Dublin Arena on 22 May – their only defeat in 53 games in all competitions last season. Xabi Alonso's side had beaten Roma 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals (2-0 a, 2-2 h).

Leverkusen are featuring in the Champions League proper for the 14th time – although only the third in eight seasons.

Their most recent campaign came in 2022/23, when they were third in their section behind Porto and Club Brugge and went on to reach the Europa League semi-finals before losing 1-0 on aggregate against Roma.

Xabi Alonso's side won five of their six home games in Europe last season and are unbeaten in 11 (W8 D3).

This season's 4-0 loss at Liverpool is one of only three in Leverkusen's last 25 European games (W16 D6).

Alonso guided Die Werkself to a first-ever Bundesliga title in 2023/24 and also oversaw a German Cup victory, only Leverkusen's second in the competition.

Leverkusen have not reached the Champions League knockout rounds since 2016/17.

Inter

Record vs German clubs: W20 D10 L17 F66 A60
Away record vs German clubs: W6 D8 L8

The Matchday 5 win at home to Leipzig was only Inter's fifth in their last 17 games against German clubs, a run that includes ten defeats.

Inter had not played a Bundesliga team since the 2022/23 group stage, when they lost 2-0 to Bayern München both home and away.

Wins at Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-2) on Matchday 5 of the 2020/21 Champions League and Bayern (3-2) in March 2011 are Inter's only successes in their last 11 matches away to Bundesliga clubs (D3 L6), although they did beat Leverkusen in 2020 in neutral Düsseldorf.

This is the Nerazzurri's 18th appearance in the Champions League, and a seventh in succession.

Runners-up to Manchester City in the 2023 final, losing 1-0 in Istanbul – Inter's most successful Champions League campaign since lifting the trophy in 2010 – Simone Inzaghi's side were second behind Real Sociedad in Group D in 2023/24 but were then edged out by Atlético de Madrid in the round of 16 (1-0 h, 1-2 a, 2-3 pens).

That was the second time in the last three seasons than Inter's campaign had foundered in the last 16.

A 1-0 victory at Young Boys on Matchday 3 this season was only Inter's ninth in their last 24 away Champions League games (D7 L8), although they have won seven of the last 15.

Champions of Europe in 1964, 1965 and 2010, Inter claimed their 20th Serie A title in 2023/24. It was their first championship since 2021 and only a second in the past 14 seasons.

Links and trivia

Hakan Çalhanoğlu played for Leverkusen between 2014 and 2017, scoring 28 goals in 115 appearances. He was born in Mannheim in Germany and also played for Karlsruhe (2009–13) and Hamburg (2013/14).

Have also played in Germany:
Yann Sommer (Borussia Mönchengladbach 2014–23, Bayern München 2023)
Josep Martínez (Leipzig 2020–22)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund 2013–16)
Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart 2016–19, Bayern München 2019–23)
Yann Bisseck (Köln 2007–21, Holstein Kiel 2019 loan)
Marko Arnautović (Werder Bremen 2010–13)
Marcus Thuram (Borussia Mönchengladbach 2019–23)

Has played in Italy:
Patrik Schick (Sampdoria (2016/17, Roma (2017–19)

Have played together:
Jonathan Tah & Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Hamburg 2013/14)
Jonas Hofmann & Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Dortmund 2013–16)
Jonas Hofmann & Yann Sommer, Marcus Thuram (Mönchengladbach 2019–23)
Granit Xhaka & Yann Sommer (Basel 2010–12, Mönchengladbach 2014–16)
Nordi Mukiele & Josep Martínez (Leipzig 2020–22)

International team-mates:
Exequiel Palacios & Lautaro Martínez, Joaquín Correa (Argentina)
Granit Xhaka & Yann Sommer (Switzerland)
Jeremie Frimpong & Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij (Netherlands)

Latest news

Leverkusen

Leverkusen made it five successive wins in all competitions with a 2-1 home success against St. Pauli on Saturday. Florian Wirtz opened the scoring with his first Bundesliga goal in nine games.

On 30 November Leverkusen won 2-1 at Union Berlin, Patrik Schick scoring the winner in his 100th Bundesliga game for the club.

Three days later holders Leverkusen reached the quarter-finals of the German Cup with a 1-0 win at ten men Bayern München, substitute Nathan Tella scoring his first goal of the season.

Leverkusen have conceded 20 goals in their first 13 league games; they let in 24 in 34 in 2023/24.

Schick, who had six goals in four matches before the cup game, came on as a substitute in Munich but was then replaced himself due to a calf injury and missed Saturday's win.

Jonas Hofmann has been out since 22 November with a thigh injury.

Victor Boniface suffered a thigh injury on 18 November while on international duty with Nigeria and has not played since.

Amine Adli has been out since Matchday 3 with a fractured fibula.

Inter

Friday's 3-1 win at home to Parma means Inter have scored three or more goals in seven of their 14 Serie A fixtures this season.

Inter's game at Fiorentina on 1 December was abandoned after 17 minutes after a medical emergency involving home midfielder Edoardo Bove.

On 27 November Denzel Dumfries renewed his contract until 2028.

Benjamin Pavard has not played since going off with a thigh injury shortly before half-time on Matchday 5.

Francesco Acerbi (out since 23 November, thigh), Carlos Augusto (26 November, thigh) and Davide Frattesi (23 November, ankle) are all close to returning to action, the latter two unused substitutes on Friday.

On 2 December Inter dominated the Gran Galà del Calcio for the awards given by the footballers' union for last season. Lautaro Martínez was the Player of the Season, Simone Inzaghi coach, Yann Sommer goalkeeper and Marcus Thuram scored the Goal of the Season.

Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco, Nicolò Barella and Hakan Çalhanoğlu were all in the Serie A Top XI of the season alongside Sommer, Martínez and Thuram.