Champions League
Leverkusen wants to crack bulwark from Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen is hoping for a turnaround against Atlético Madrid. photo
© Marius Becker/dpa
Bayer Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane goes into the second Champions League group game against Atlético Madrid with great respect.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane goes into the second Champions League group game against Atlético Madrid with great respect.
“It is remarkable how Atlético has developed in the last ten years. They are among the top clubs in Europe,” said the Swiss football teacher before the game against the eleven-time Spanish champions on Tuesday (9 p.m. / DAZN) in the home BayArena.
After the unexpected 0:1 at the outsiders FC Brugge at the start of the premier class and the false start in the Bundesliga with the fall to the penultimate place in the table, the Leverkusen team hope for a turnaround. That could strengthen the position of the criticized Seoane. The 43-year-old prepared his professionals for a battle-focused game against the guests, who were strong in defense and counterattacks: “Atlético have an incredibly compact and aggressive attitude on the pitch – in a positive way. They will try to get us into a lot of duels. There you have to resist it.”
According to Piero Hincapie, the team will not lack the appropriate attitude. “Even though we’re going through a difficult time as a team at the moment, we’re extremely motivated. We want to offer the fans a great game,” said the defender, hoping to make amends for the dubious start to the season so far.