Atlético de Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen facts

Atlético de Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen continue their growing rivalry on Matchday 7 with a single point separating them in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.

This is the sides' 11th fixture – all since 2010 – and there has been little to separate them over the years. That is also the case this season; Atleti have 12 points having won four of their six games including the last three, beating Slovan Bratislava 3-1 in Madrid on Matchday 6. Leverkusen are on 13 points and seeking a third successive victory, the German champions beating their Italian counterparts Inter Milan 1-0 last time out.

Previous meetings

Matches 10
Atlético wins 3
Leverkusen wins 3
Draws 4
Atlético goals 11
Leverkusen goals 11

2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage
Atlético 1-1 Leverkusen
Leverkusen 1-1 Atlético
Jupp Heynckes' Leverkusen ended up top of their section while the elimination of Quique Sánchez Flores' Atlético, then holders, was confirmed with the Matchday 6 draw at Leverkusen.

2014/15 Champions League round of 16
Leverkusen 1-0 Atlético
Atlético 1-0 Leverkusen (aet, 3-2 pens)
Hakan Çalhanoğlu's goal in Germany was cancelled out in Spain by Mario Suárez, whose Atlético side progressed despite Koke missing in the shoot-out.

2016/17 Champions League round of 16
Leverkusen 4-2 Atlético
Atlético 0-0 Leverkusen
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.

2019/20 Champions League group stage
Atlético 1-0 Leverkusen
Leverkusen 2-1 Atlético
Álvaro Morata scored the only goal in Madrid on Matchday 3 and also found the net in Leverkusen, but his 94th-minute effort was only a consolation after a Thomas Partey own goal (41) and Kevin Volland's strike (55).

2022/23 Champions League group stage
Leverkusen 2-0 Atlético
Atlético 2-2 Leverkusen
Late goals from Robert Andrich (84) and Moussa Diaby (87) snatched the points on Matchday 2. Atlético twice came from behind in Spain on Matchday 5, goals from Diaby (9) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (29) cancelled out by Yannick Carrasco (22) and Rodrigo De Paul (50) but Lukas Hradecky saved Carrasco's 99th-minute penalty to end the Spanish side's hopes of reaching the round of 16.

Form guide

Atlético de Madrid

Record vs German clubs: W23 D9 L20 F69 A67
Home record vs German clubs: W17 D5 L3

The 2-1 win against Leipzig on Matchday 1 this season was only Atleti's second success in nine games against German opposition (D2 L5), since the 1-0 home victory against Leverkusen in 2019.

Atleti's 2023/24 Champions League journey was ended by Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, a 2-1 home first-leg win not enough after a 4-2 second-leg loss in Germany.

Atlético are unbeaten at home to Bundesliga opposition in 14 matches (W10 D4), dating back to a 1-0 defeat by Dortmund in the 1996/97 Champions League group stage.

Atlético are making their 15th appearance in the Champions League proper and a 12th in succession. They have featured every season since 2013/14.

Runners-up in 2014 and 2016, both against Real Madrid, Diego Simeone's side finished top of their section in 2023/24 and then ousted Inter in the round of 16 (0-1 a, 2-1 h aet, 3-2 pens) before losing to Dortmund.

Despite seven wins in their last eight home Champions League matches, Atleti have managed only eight victories in their last 19 home European fixtures (D7 L4).

Atleti have progressed to the knockout rounds in nine of their last 11 Champions League campaigns, missing out only in 2017/18 – when they went on to win a third Europa League and a second under Simeone – and 2022/23, when they finished bottom of their section for the first time.

The Colchoneros were fourth in La Liga in 2023/24, their lowest league finish since 2011/12, when they were fifth.

Bayer Leverkusen

Record vs Spanish clubs: W13 D10 L20 F54 A67
Away record vs Spanish clubs: W3 D5 L13

Leverkusen's last games against a Spanish side were those 2022 fixtures with Atlético.

The 2-2 draw in Madrid made it five games unbeaten against Spanish sides, home and away (W3 D2), since the 1-0 loss at Atleti in October 2019.

Leverkusen won two of their first six away games against Spanish sides, losing the other four, but a 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad in the 2013/14 Champions League group stage is their only victory in their subsequent 15 visits, a run that includes nine defeats.

Die Werkself 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, moving into the Europa League – where they went on to reach the semi-finals before losing 1-0 on aggregate against Roma.

Xabi Alonso's side went one step further in last season's Europa League, finishing first in their section with maximum points before battling past Qarabağ (5-4 on aggregate), West Ham (4-1 agg) and Roma (4-2 agg) to reach the final, where Atalanta's 3-0 victory denied Leverkusen the chance to add to their 1988 UEFA Cup triumph.

The 4-0 loss at Liverpool on Matchday 4 this season made it two defeats in the German side's last 14 European away games (W8 D4).

Alonso guided Leverkusen to a first Bundesliga title last season and also oversaw victory in the German Cup final as the club claimed that trophy for only the second time.

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

Links and trivia

Have played in Germany:
Alexander Sørloth (Leipzig 2020–22)
Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund 2018–22)

Have played in Spain:
Alejandro Grimaldo (Barcelona 2008–15)
Aleix García (Villarreal 2005–15 Girona 2017–19 loan, 2021–24 Eibar 2021)

International team-mates:
Robin Le Normand, Pablo Barrios, Marcos Llorente & Alejandro Grimaldo, Aleix García (Spain)
Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo De Paul, Ángel Correa, Giuliano Simeone, Julián Alvarez & Exequiel Palacios (Argentina)

Have played together:
Rodrigo Riquelme & Aleix García (Girona 2022/23)
Alexander Sørloth & Nordi Mukiele (Leipzig 2021/22)

Atlético's reserve goalkeeper Juan Musso was in the Atalanta side that beat Leverkusen 3-0 in last season's Europa League final in Dublin.

Latest news

Atlético de Madrid

On Saturday Atleti's run of 15 consecutive wins in all competitions, the longest in their history, was ended by a 1-0 loss at Leganés, Antoine Griezmann firing a last-minute penalty wide.

Diego Simeone's side had scored 39 goals in that winning run, conceding eight and keeping nine clean sheets.

Atleti have the best defensive record in La Liga with just 13 goals conceded.

Atlético finished the first half of the season top of La Liga with 44 points from 19 games (W13 D5 L1). They have won the title on the last two occasions they have led at the halfway point.

Atlético have lost just four of their 30 games in all competitions this season, winning every one since a 1-0 Liga defeat at Real Betis on 27 October before losing at Leganés.

Julián Alvarez is Atleti's top scorer this campaign with 14 goals in all competitions, two more than Griezmann.

On 15 January, Atleti beat Elche 4-0 in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey with two goals from Alexander Sørloth, who has ten in all competitions this season.

Sørloth was taken off at half-time against Elche with a minor injury and missed Saturday's defeat.

José María Giménez has not played since going off with a muscle issue in a 2-1 win at Barcelona on 21 December.

Leverkusen

Leverkusen are on a 11-match winning streak, including all five in the league since Matchday 6; they are unbeaten in 25 Bundesliga away games.

Florian Wirtz scored twice in Saturday's 3-1 win at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach, setting up the third for Patrik Schick.

Schick has scored 12 goals in his last eight league games, including four in a 5-1 win against Freiburg on 21 December and two in a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on 10 January.

Leverkusen completed the first half of the Bundesliga season with a 1-0 win against Mainz on 14 January.

Xabi Alonso's side have conceded 24 goals in their first 18 league games, the same total as in the whole of 2023/24.

Martin Terrier was taken off early on Saturday with a suspected Achilles injury.

Jeanuël Belocian has been out since 5 January with a knee 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.

On 2 January Leverkusen signed Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco from Vélez Sarsfield; Sadik Fofana joined Grazer AK on 11 January.

On 21 December Piero Hincapie signed a new contract until 2029.