Next Tuesday, February 18, 2014 (11:45 AM Pacific, 19:45 GMT) Bayer Leverkusen will go head-to-head against Paris St Germain at the beautiful BayArena for the UEFA Champions League last 16. The German side, which has only lost to Manchester United on the group stage, will now serve as the host to the powerful French giants, that experienced no difficulties on leaving Olympiacos, SL Benfica and Anderlecht behind in Group C of the competition.
Former Liverpool’s centre back, Sami Hyypia, who is currently at the helm of Bayer Leverkusen, will have history on his team’s side, since the Germans have never been knocked out of a European competition by a French side. The 2002 UEFA Champions League finalists are probably not enjoying their best moment at the Bundesliga, despite being at the second place of the league table. The team lost four of their last six matches and last weekend, they were surprised at home by Schalke 04.
For next Tuesday’s match, Sami Hyypia will not be able to count on the German-Turkish midfielder Emre Can, due to suspension, and he will probably also not be able to count on with the defender Sebastian Boenisch, who is still recovering from a back injury.
As for PSG, this is probably the season of affirmation at the UEFA Champions League, after being eliminated by Barcelona in the quarter-finals last campaign. Laurent Blanc’s side now looks more cohese and they are confidently sitting at the top of Ligue 1 with just one defeat in 25 matches so far. The French side has displayed a great display of their power on the UEFA Champions League round stage scoring 16 goals in 6 matches, only being defeated by an inspired SL Benfica on the last match.
For his team’s visit to BayArena, Laurent Blanc will not be able to count on the Uruguayan superstar Edison Cavani, who is sidelined due to an hamstring injury, and he will also probably not be able to have Zoumana Camara and Christophe Jallet at his disposal, since they are still recovering from minor injuries and will probably not be 100% fit for next Tuesday’s match.
Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG Prediction
PSG, who has lost three of their last six matches against German sides, will probably have a slight disadvantage for their clash with Bayer Leverkusen, who, on their part, seem not to struggle against French sides in European competitions. This being said, the most likely outcome is 1-1.
Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG Television
The match will be televised on Fox Sports 2 USA, and Sky Sports 1 (UK).
