O. Demebele returns to Champions League football for the first time this season after winning the Balon d’Or.
This Tuesday marks the return of the Ballon d’Or winner, who will be up against a steadily improving Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen dismissed Ten Hag after their first two Bundesliga games, and their new coach, Kasper Hjulmand, has done a commendable job with a team full of young players. However, this match will be the biggest test of his tenure at Leverkusen. PSG, on the other hand, are quite secure with their Champions League run as they have beaten both Atalanta & Barca with most of their firepower absent.
Match Details:
- Fixture: Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG
- Date: 22.10.2025
- Kick Off: 00:30 IST
- Venue: Bay Arena, Leverkusen.
Key Players to Watch out For:
Ernest Poku: The new Dutch prodigy who has just signed for Leverkusen has made a deadly impact in important games. He’s quick and is lethal in transition, which would be the game plan of Leverkusen against the French Champions.
Alex Grimaldo: Leverkusen’s main man for set-pieces, as he has a deadly left foot, expect some lovely crosses from him, which would test their new GK Chevalier, who has had a night to forget against Strasbourg.
Hakimi: Achraf Hakimi carries a new threat under Luis Enrique. His finishing & overall game have become more balanced. Always a threat in an attack.
Kvaratskhelia: The Georgian winger has been the hallmark of Luis Enrique’s attack. Deadly on either side of the wing & expect him to exploit Leverkusen’s defence.
Ramos: A name often criticised, but if you look at his numbers, he is an ideal target man, who always provides sufficient for the team.
Tactical Battle:
As both teams would like to maintain their Champions League run, PSG would love to be on winning ways & Leverkusen would be happy to be undefeated in the first three games. The home team’s biggest concern would be their vulnerable defence; they concede a lot of goals due to their weak backline. With Loic Bade, the only one who looks assured & composed at times. PSG would look to take full advantage of this liability with Doue, Dembele, Barcola & Kvara all fit & firing.
Leverkusen’s best chance would be their counterattacking strategy led by Grimaldo & his dead-ball expertise to tease the PSG backline. Leverkusen won’t be shy of creating chances, they have a massive young pool of players on display, eg Poku, Kofane, Echeverri, Ben Seghir, etc, who could be very fatal to PSG. But could Leverkusen contain PSG? If so, we have a game on our hands; else we should expect the Treble winners to run riot.
Predicted Lineups:
- Leverusen- Flekken, Andrich, Bade, Tapsoba, Arthur, Garcia, E. Fernandez, A. Grimaldo, Poku, Echeverri, Kofane.
- PSG- Chevalier, Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes, Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Mayulu, Kvara, Ramos, Barcola
