Bayer Leverkusen v Newcastle preview ahead of Champions League clash

Welcome to the Bayer Leverkusen v Newcastle preview.

Wednesday 10th December – 8pm (UK time) kick-off.

Newcastle United look to build on their very promising recent Premier League form, as we travel to Germany to battle with Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

The Toon have enjoyed a strong start to their European campaign and a win could go a long way to securing a place in the top eight.

The games are coming thick and fast and NUFC fans will be hoping this good form continues as we battle on three fronts in just seven days in what is increasingly looking like a pivotal week for our season.

Form

Newcastle have played five champions league matches so far this season, winning three and losing two. We began our campaign with an unlucky 2-1 defeat at home to Barcelona but followed this up with victories against Union S-G, Benfica and Athletic Bilbao. In our last Champions League match we travelled to France and took an early lead in Marseille, only to then concede twice at the start of the second half and go down to a 2-1 defeat. We’ve scored eleven goals in these five matches and conceded four. The nine points gained had us eleventh in the thirty-six team table before the sixth round of matches, a win would see NUFC now move up into the top seven after Wednesday’s matches.

Bayer Leverkusen have also played five matches and began their campaign with draws against Copenhagen and PSV, before a crazy 7-2 defeat at home to PSG. They’ve subsequently beaten both Benfica and Man City to give themselves a chance of making the knockout stages. They’ve scored eight goals and conceded ten. The eight points gained has them currently a point behind Newcastle.

Last time out

The Toon hosted Burnley on Saturday afternoon and achieved their third Premier League win in four matches due to a dominant display that should have seen a much bigger margin of victory than just the one goal. Burnley started on the front foot but after a nervy opening fifteen minutes, Newcastle were easily the better team. Gordon hit the post before Bruno scored direct from a corner with a simply stunning effort. Burnley were then given a red card for a foul on Elanga who was through on goal. They tried to hang on until half-time but a handball in the box gave Gordon the opportunity to double our advantage from the penalty spot, which he did by sending former Toon ‘keeper Dubravka the wrong way. Newcastle strolled through the second half and saw Gordon hit the bar before Wissa was cheered on for his long-awaited debut.

With the points seemingly won and thoughts drifting towards a few post-match Christmas ales, Burnley were awarded an injury time penalty and made it 2-1. We then had to endure an absolutely heart stopping moment when it looked like Burnley were going to equalise but thankfully they couldn’t convert the chance and the final whistle was greeted with relief rather than euphoria.

Bayer Leverkusen travelled to Augsburg on Saturday and went down to their second Bundesliga defeat in a row despite dominating possession. The hosts caught Leverkusen on the counter attack with two early goals and were able to hang on for a 2-0 victory.

Stat attack!

-Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen have previously met twice in the Champions League, both occasions have seen the Toon win 3-1.

-The Toon have played four competitive matches on German soil, winning two, drawing one and losing one.

-Newcastle have scored six goals away to German opposition and conceded five.

Memorable match

Newcastle travelled to play Bayer Leverkusen under Sir Bobby in the second group stage of the 2003 Champions League.

The Toon had made it out of the first group despite losing their first three matches without scoring a goal, the first team to ever achieve this on a memorable night in Feyenoord (but that’s a story for another day).

We travelled to Leverkusen having suffered heavy defeats to Inter Milan and Barcelona, meaning we needed a win to keep our hopes of a quarter-final place alive. This was complicated by European suspensions for both Shearer and Bellamy. meaning Ameobi and Lua-Lua would be forced to lead the line.

We needn’t have worried, they proved themselves to be more than able deputies. The match was just five minutes in when a cross was whipped into the box by Lua-Lua for Shola to power home a header and get the celebrations started on the occasion of Sir Bobby’s seventieth birthday. Eleven minutes later and super Shola was at it again, winning the ball halfway into Leverkusen territory and striding forward before burying a shot into the bottom corner to put the Toon 2-0 up with just sixteen minutes on the clock. The Toon weren’t to have it all their own way however and Leverkusen gained a toehold in the match when pulling one back in the twenty-fifth minute but back came Newcastle and five minutes later it was 3-1 when Robert whipped in a cross from the left and Lua-Lua stylishly volleyed home to restore the two goal advantage and end the scoring on what was a fine European away win for the Toon. Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 Newcastle

Played for both

I’ve combed the record books and am struggling to find anyone who’s represented both clubs so let’s take a look at some German players who have represented NUFC over the years.

Didi Hamann signed for Kenny Dalglish in 1998 but soon saw his new manager replaced by Ruud Gullit. Hamann was something of a bright spark in this Toon side scoring cracking goals against Nottingham Forest and Arsenal, as well as a fine effort at home to Juventus in a pre-season friendly. He played thirty-one matches in all competitions and scored five goals. Unfortunately, things unravelled for Hamamn at NUFC after just one season on Tyneside. He was featured in the official club magazine talking about spending years with us and winning a load of medals but went back on these statements just a few days later, saying he wanted to sign for Liverpool instead, which he did. The Toon Army repeatedly reminded him of this lack of loyalty as he was roundly abused every time he faced us.

Loris Karius signed for NUFC in 2022 and had to wait almost six months until his debut which, incredibly, came at Wembley in the 2023 League Cup final. Unfortunately, he was unable to write himself into Toon Army folklore and had to be content with a runners up medal after a 2-0 defeat. His only other Toon appearance came in a disappointing 4-1 defeat away at Arsenal. He’s currently playing in the Bundesliga for Schalke.

Malick Thiaw has probably been our player of the season so far. A string of eye-catching performances have already endeared him to the Toon Army and his two goals against Everton have provided one of the highlights for travelling fans. Long may this continue. Thiaw could well be on his way to becoming a legend!

Managers

Eddie Howe after a 2-1 victory at home to Burnley:

“It was a tough ending to the game, that’s for sure. We concede the penalty with minimal time left. Then the whole game changes. The extra man advantage goes out the window but we got over the line, won the game, and that’s all that matters. We were sluggish starters today. We grew into it. Bruno scored a great goal. Our plan was to put the ball right on the goalkeeper today. There were some bright spots in our play – not enough from our perspective – we know it wasn’t our best performance but we got a win, ten points out of twelve, we’re moving in the right direction”.

Kasper Hjulmand after a 2-0 defeat away to Augsburg:

“We’re obviously not satisfied with how we performed – it just wasn’t enough. We didn’t play with the right mindset. We have to be able to play better, which is why we’re disappointed today. Now, we have to manage to quickly sort ourselves out, because we have two big games coming up next week.”

Charity

As it is an away match, Newcastle United fans will not be collecting opposite the Gallowgate end, for the food bank. However, you can still help out and all online cash donations are very much appreciated. For further info and/or to donate to the food bank online.

Prediction

This is a potentially crucial match in terms of qualification for the next stage and I’m backing Newcastle to get a positive result. Some fans may have half an eye on derby day but Eddie Howe will be fully focused on this one. We won’t want to lose two European matches in a row and I think we’ll come away with a very valuable point.

Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Newcastle