Aiming to make a major impact on the Champions League after last season's record-breaking feats, Bayer Leverkusen will meet Feyenoord on Thursday evening.
The German champions convene with last term's Eredivisie runners-up in their league-phase opener, with a typically electric atmosphere expected at De Kuip.
Match preview
Crowned Dutch champions for the 16th time in 2023, Feyenoord were forced to settle for second place behind PSV Eindoven last season, despite their final points tally being two higher than when taking top spot 12 months earlier.
The Rotterdam club did claim the KNVB Beker as consolation, but title-winning boss Arne Slot left for Liverpool and new manager Brian Priske was brought in from Sparta Prague.
So far, the Danish coach has produced just one win from four league games, having begun his reign with a penalty-shootout success against Ajax in the Johan Cruijff Shield - after letting victory slip through their fingers at Groningen last week, his side already trail PSV by nine points.
Now appearing in successive Champions League seasons for the first time since 2002, Feyenoord have only featured twice in the past 22 years, and they will be aiming to reach the competition's knockout phase for the very first time - albeit they won the European Cup back in 1970.
Last term, Slot's side finished third in Group E, before dropping down into the Europa League and losing on penalties to old foes Roma in the knockout-round playoffs. That was the third straight year they had been eliminated from Europe by the Giallorossi, including defeat in the inaugural Europa Conference League final.
Given some tough ties in this season's new-look league phase, Feyenoord will be glad to kick off their latest campaign at De Kuip, where they have lost just once in their last 18 European fixtures, winning on 14 occasions.
The one blot on an otherwise flawless 2023-24 season, Bayer Leverkusen lost to Atalanta BC in the Europa League final, coming up just short in their quest to add another European trophy to their 1988 UEFA Cup triumph.
That year, Die Werkself beat Feyenoord in the third round en route to glory, which remains the clubs' only competitive meeting to date.
Last term, Leverkusen drew acclaim for their relentless performances and last-minute heroics - both in the Bundesliga and in Europe - and even though they were finally beaten by Atalanta, they had already claimed a first German title and later added the DFB-Pokal.
Xabi Alonso's stylish side also finished first in their Europa League group with maximum points before battling past three teams, including Roma, to reach the decider. Defeat in Dublin was their only loss in 53 games across all competitions, 43 of which ended in victory.
Featuring in the Champions League for only a third time in eight seasons, Leverkusen's most recent campaign came two years ago, when they were third in their group before slipping into the Europa League. They went on to reach the semi-finals before losing to none other than Roma.
Losing 1-0 at Stadio Olimpico remains the German side's only defeat in their last 11 European away fixtures - a spell also featuring seven wins - so even though they recently slipped up against Leipzig, Xabi Alonso and co will be confident of making a fast start in midweek.
Ultimately, they are intent on reaching the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since 2017, and having forever shaken off their old nickname of 'Never-kusen', they may even believe making the Munich-hosted final is possible.
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Team News
Though Arne Slot was followed out of De Kuip by Netherlands defender Lutsharel Geertruida, who recently left for Leipzig, Feyenoord have retained star striker Santiago Gimenez, who should start up front on Thursday.
Summer arrivals Jordan Lotomba and Hwang In-beom could both feature too, but influential midfielder Calvin Stengs is ruled out by a knee injury and on-loan left-back Hugo Bueno has been sidelined since last month due to a muscular problem.
Austrian centre-back Gernot Trauner - who suffered a thigh injury at Euro 2024 - returned to first-team action on Saturday and should make the bench.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen will arrive in Rotterdam without any major injury concerns, and Xabi Alonso should have a full squad to choose from, providing Exequiel Palacios passes a fitness test.
Therefore, Victor Boniface - who bagged a Bundesliga brace at the weekend - and Patrick Schick fight for one place up front, while Robert Andrich and Aleix Garcia vie to partner captain Granit Xhaka in midfield.
Without doubt, Florian Wirtz will finally make his Champions League debut: over the last four Europa League seasons, the Germany forward has been involved in more goals (12 of his own; 12 assists) and created more chances (88) than any other player.
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Lotomba, Beelen, Hancko, Smal; Timber, Zechiel; Nieuwkoop, Nadje, Paixao; Gimenez
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Terrier, Wirtz; Boniface
We say: Feyenoord 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Both teams have accrued plenty of recent experience at various levels of UEFA's competition pyramid, so they will be ready to put on an absorbing spectacle on the Champions League's opening matchday.
As Leverkusen have a tactical maestro in the dugout and can call upon far more strength-in-depth from the bench, they will return home with maximum points, leaving Feyenoord empty-handed.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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