Champions League Matchday 8: Leverkusen vs Villarreal facts

Bayer Leverkusen will look to bounce back from a Matchday 7 setback and seal their place in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds at home to a Villarreal side playing their last European game of the season.

The German club have nine points ahead of the league phase conclusion on Matchday 8 but have picked up just one from their last two games and lie 20th in the league phase table. Villarreal, meanwhile, have lost six of their first seven fixtures and are level with Kairat Almaty on a single point at the bottom of the standings.

Last match

Villarreal are unbeaten in the teams' four previous meetings (W3 D1), most recently winning 2-0 at home before a 0-0 away draw in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League round of 16.

The Liga club also prevailed at the same stage of the same competition in 2010/11, winning 3-2 in Germany and 2-1 in Spain.

A 2-1 loss at Atlético de Madrid on Matchday 7 of last season's Champions League ended Leverkusen's five-match unbeaten run against Spanish clubs (W3 D2).

At home Leverkusen have lost just one of their last eight games against Spanish visitors (W5 D2), winning the last three with eight goals scored and only one conceded.

Die Werkself have won five and drawn one of their last six home matches against Spanish teams at this stage.

A 4-0 Matchday 5 defeat at Borussia Dortmund was only Villarreal's fourth in their 15 games against German opposition (W6 D5) and ended a six-match unbeaten run (W2 D4).

However, Villarreal are without a win in their last five away matches against Bundesliga teams (D3 L2).

Leverkusen

Leverkusen are featuring in the Champions League proper for the 15th time – although only the fourth in nine seasons.

In 2024/25 a team coached by Xabi Alonso finished sixth in the league phase (W5 D1 L2) only to lose an all-German last-16 tie to Bayern München (0-3 a, 0-2 h).

Villarreal

Villarreal are in the Champions League for the fifth time and a first since 2021/22, when they equalled their best run by reaching the semi-finals.

The Spanish side were not involved in European competition in 2024/25; their most recent campaign was a run to the 2023/24 Europa League round of 16.

Key stats

A 2-0 loss at Olympiacos on Matchday 7 means Leverkusen have won only two of their last nine Champions League matches (D3 L4).

Leverkusen have lost just two of their last 17 home European matches (W10 D5) but are without a win in four (D2 L2). A 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Matchday 6 made their record this season D2 L1.

Leverkusen's Ernest Poku celebrates his 22nd birthday on the date of this match.

A 1-2 home defeat against Ajax on Matchday 7, in which they took the lead, extended Villarreal's winless run in the Champions League proper to ten matches (D2 L8).

The Spanish side have lost their last four away European games without scoring, conceding six goals in losing all three matches in this season's league phase.