Bayer Leverkusen travel to Olympiacos in the first leg of their Champions League play-off round tie.
The German side reached the Round of 16 last season and will hope to earn a positive result in Athens, to aid their bid for progress to that stage once again.
It’s been a challenging campaign for Leverkusen, following Xabi Alonso’s exit as head coach, alongside much overhaul in the squad. Leverkusen are sixth in the Bundesliga as things stand, but head into this after an impressive 4-0 win over St Pauli at the weekend.
Bayer Leverkusen team news
Kasper Hjulmand is missing several options from his squad, including first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken. The summer signing from Brentford is out with a knee issue sustained last month.
Also absent is Eliesse Ben Seghir, who suffered an ankle injury while representing Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations last month. He joins Nathan Tella on the sidelines, leaving Leverkusen light in the wide areas. Spanish duo Lucas Vasquez and Alejandro Grimaldo should start in the wing-back roles.
This guy knows a thing or two about UCL prep😌💫#OLYB04 pic.twitter.com/mvDeX2ooFD
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) February 17, 2026
Bayer Leverkusen predicted lineup
Leverkusen predicted XI: Blaswich; Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba; L. Vasquez, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo; Tillman, Poku; Schick.
What time is kick-off?
Olympiacos against Bayer Leverkusen will kick off at the Karaiskakis Stadium at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 18th February 2026.
How to watch Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen
Olympiakos v Bayer Leverkusen will be shown live on TNT Sports 4 in the UK.
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