With automatic qualification for the Champions League round of 16 at stake for Bayer Leverkusen, they will hope to beat visitors Sparta Prague on Wednesday at BayArena and advance to the next stage.
Leverkusen are eighth in the final automatic qualification spot with 13 points but their 2-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid on January 21 means they head into the final Champions League matchweek level on points with the five teams below them, while Sparta are 29th with four points and have already been eliminated.
Match preview
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The German side will feel they have put themselves in an unnecessarily precarious scenario given they were beaten by Atletico despite having a player advantage from the 23rd minute, as well as taking the lead shortly after half time.
To their credit, the hosts have already secured a round of 16 playoff spot, and their defeat at the hands of their Spanish opponents was their first in 13 games, with the team winning all of their previous 11 matches.
Manager Xabi Alonso failed to guide his side to victory on Saturday when the Bundesliga champions drew 2-2 with RB Leipzig, a game in which they squandered a two-goal lead despite only facing 0.73 xG.
Die Schwarzroten have now fallen six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, though they are five points ahead of third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.
Alonso's side have scored 17 goals in their last seven outings in all competitions, and they found the back of the net six times in the two Champions League games prior to their defeat against Atletico Madrid.
Leverkusen's form at home is phenomenal considering they are unbeaten in their past 13 fixtures at BayArena, with seven of their 11 victories in that period coming in their seven most recent games.
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Opponents Sparta Prague were beaten 1-0 by Serie A champions Inter Milan last Wednesday, and though they did not face a single big chance, the defeat confirmed their elimination from the tournament.
Boss Lars Friis's side started their European campaign well, winning their first game 3-0 against Red Bull Salzburg on September 18 before drawing 1-1 with last season's Bundesliga runners-up Stuttgart on October 1.
However, the visitors have been beaten in each of their last five Champions League matches and have conceded four or more goals in three of those games.
In fact, Sparta have been defeated in their two most recent away fixtures in the competition, losing by a cumulative score of 9-2.
Friis's team are third in the Czech Liga with 37 points, but are 13 points behind leaders Slavia Prague.
Team News
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Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie was sent off against Atletico, while defender Jeanuel Belocian has been ruled out until September, so perhaps the hosts will field a back four featuring Alejandro Grimaldo, Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Nordi Mukiele.
Forwards Amine Adli and Martin Terrier are not available for Wednesday's clash, and their absence could mean striker Patrik Schick will be supported by Nathan Tella, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong.
In midfield, Granti Xhaka is certain to play, and he could be joined by Exequiel Palacios given the duo started against Atletico.
The visitors will be unable to select wing-backs Angelo Preciado or Imanol Garcia de Albeniz, the latter of whom is not scheduled to make his comeback until next season.
Tomas Wiesner and Matej Rynes are probable candidates to flank centre-backs Martin Vitik, Filip Panak and Asger Sorensen.
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Kovar; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba, Grimaldo; Xhaka, Palacios; Frimpong, Wirtz, Tella; Schick
Sparta Prague possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Vitik, Panak, Sorensen; Wiesner, Sadilek, Kairinen, Laci, Rynes; Olatunji, Birmancevic
We say: Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 Sparta Prague
Given Sparta have already been eliminated from the competition, it would be surprising if they put up much resistance against their hosts.
Leverkusen could score multiple goals on Wednesday considering the visitors have been poor defensively in the Champions League, and they should be confident of qualifying automatically for the round of 16.
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Lewis Nolan
