The Market is Talking About Leverkusen’s Next Opponent
Following Bayer Leverkusen’s successful progression to the Champions League round of 16, the football community is abuzz with speculation regarding their potential opponents. On Tuesday night, Leverkusen played to a 0-0 draw against Olympiacos, securing advancement after a 2-0 victory in the first leg.
Director of Sport Simon Rolfes expressed a preference for facing Arsenal in the next round. Speaking to Bild, Rolfes stated, “It would be great if we were drawn against Arsenal. Then we could finally say goodbye to Kai Havertz at our stadium – almost six years after his departure. I was recently in contact with Kai. He would also be happy to see us again. He was keeping his fingers crossed for us to advance.”
Havertz, who left Leverkusen in 2020, has not returned to the BayArena since his departure. Leverkusen’s head coach, Kasper Hjulmand, echoed Rolfes’ sentiments, emphasizing the challenge of facing top-tier teams. “They are two of the best teams in Europe, they play at the same level. That’s great. We want to play against the best. We’re looking forward to this big challenge,” he remarked.
However, should Leverkusen draw their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, they could face them four times within a month. This scenario includes a Champions League first leg on March 10-11, followed by a Bundesliga match on March 14.
Currently, Leverkusen sits sixth in the Bundesliga, just four points shy of the Champions League spots. Despite a recent setback against Union Berlin, the team has shown resilience, being the fourth-best side in the league over the last fifteen games.
No official confirmation yet regarding their next opponent. The anticipation continues as fans and analysts await the draw.
