Yahoo Sports Champions League line-ups: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Inter
Inter choose Mehdi Taremi and Hakan Calhanoglu in support of Marcus Thuram for their big Champions League trip to Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
It kicks off at the BayArena at 20.00 GMT.
The Nerazzurri are still unbeaten and haven’t conceded a goal in the Champions League so far this season, putting them on the verge of a top eight finish and direct qualification for the Round of 16.
Denzel Dumfries misses out with flu symptoms, while Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi are injured, plus Tucu Correa and Tomas Palacios not in the UEFA list.
They are therefore reduced to the bare bones in defence, with Davide Frattesi, Carlos Augusto, Piotr Zielinski and Taremi stepping in for squad rotation.
These clubs met three times before and Inter won all of them, most recently the 2020 Europa League quarter-final.
Bayer Leverkusen are also doing very well with three wins, a draw away to Brest and the only setback a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool.
They were prevented from doing the Treble by Atalanta in the Europa League Final.
Still under Xabi Alonso, they are now third in the Bundesliga and are missing injured Victor Boniface, Amine Adli and Jonas Hofmann.
Former Milan striker Patrik Schick is only fit for the bench, so Jeremie Frimpong is moved to a more advanced role with Nathan Tella and star man Florian Wirtz.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Inter line-ups
Bayer Leverkusen: Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié; Mukiele, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Frimpong, Tella, Wirtz
Bayer Leverkusen bench: Hradecky, Lomb, Andrich, Terrier, Arthur, Schick, Garcia, Stepanov, Onyeka, Belocian
Inter: Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Carlos Augusto; Thuram, Taremi
Inter bench: J Martinez, Calligaris, Arnautovic, Lautaro Martinez, Buchanan, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Barella, Dimarco, Aidoo
Ref: Vincic (SVN)
