Leverkusen v Atlético background

Bayer 04 Leverkusen host Club Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of their round of 16 tie looking for a change of fortune when it comes to this stage of the UEFA Champions League.

• Leverkusen, who qualified as Group D runners-up, have never won a last-16 tie and will have to work hard to change that statistic against an Atlético side who finished top of Group A ahead of Juventus.

Previous meetings
• The clubs played out two 1-1 draws when they met in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage. Simão's penalty (51) cancelled out an Eren Derdiyok goal (39) in the first game in Madrid on 30 September 2010, before Fran Mérida's equaliser (72) cancelled out Patrick Helmes's opener (69) in Leverkusen on 16 December.

• Jupp Heynckes' Leverkusen ended up top of that UEFA Europa League group, with Quique Sánchez Flores's Atlético, then holders, eliminated after finishing third.

• The lineups for their December 2010 meeting in Germany were:
Leverkusen: Giefer, Vida, Schwaab, Hyypiä, Castro (Da Costa 46), Bender (Vidal 88), Balitsch, Kaplan, Renato Augusto (Kiessling 46), Jörgensen, Helmes.
Atlético: De Gea, Valera, Perea, Álvaro Domínguez, Filipe Luís, Paulo Assunção, Mario Suárez (Tiago 84), Raúl García, Simão (Mérida 71), Forlán (Costa 67), Agüero.

Match background

Leverkusen
• Roger Schmidt's hosts are hoping to put behind them a run of heavy defeats at this stage of the UEFA Champions League. Although they reached the final in 2002, losing to Real Madrid CF, that was when the tournament featured a second group stage:
2013/14 Paris Saint-Germain 1-6 agg
2011/12 FC Barcelona 2-10 agg
2004/05 Liverpool FC 2-6 agg

• Leverkusen have won three and lost one of four home fixtures in this term's competition, the 4-0 play-off victory over FC København included.

• Their home record against Spanish sides is W6 D3 L5. Leverkusen beat a Real Sociedad de Fútbol side including Antoine Griezmann 2-1 at home in last season's group stage.

• Leverkusen have lost their last four two-legged ties against Spanish opposition. Their last victory came when they defeated RCD Espanyol in the 1988 UEFA Cup final (3-3 agg, 3-2 pens).

Atlético
• Atlético are looking to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup for the seventh time.

• Last season's runners-up have won five and lost just one of their nine UEFA Champions League away games since September 2013.

• Diego Godín, Koke, Mario Suárez, Miranda and Tiago all played when Atlético visited Germany last for the 2-1 win at Hannover 96 which secured a 4-2 aggregate victory in the quarter-finals of their triumphant 2011/12 UEFA Europa League campaign.

• Atlético's overall away record against Bundesliga clubs is W5 D3 L7.

• The Spanish champions have won their last five two-legged ties against German sides. Their last aggregate defeat came against 1. FC Dynamo Dresden in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup first round.

• Atlético lost the 1974 European Champion Clubs' Cup final against FC Bayern München, going down 4-0 in a replay after a 1-1 draw.

Coach and player links
• Diego Simeone appeared as a substitute for SS Lazio in two 1-1 draws with Leverkusen in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League first group stage.

• The Argentinian helped FC Internazionale Milano overcome FC Schalke 04 (2-1 agg) in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup quarter-finals en route to winning the trophy.

• Simeone's playing record against Bundesliga sides in Europe was W1 D3 L1. That solitary defeat was a home loss to Borussia Dortmund with Atlético in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Emir Spahić faced Atlético four times (D2 L2) during a two-year spell with Sevilla FC (2011-13). In 2012/13 he scored an own goal in a 4-0 Liga loss at the Vicente Calderón, and was then sent off in a 2-1 cup defeat there.

• Arda Turan scored against Spahić's Bosnia and Herzegovina in a 2-1 win for Turkey in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

• In the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern, Mario Mandžukić faced Leverkusen six times (W2 D1 L3) and scored three goals.

• Karim Bellarabi and Lars Bender appeared as substitutes in Germany's 1-0 friendly win over Raúl García's Spain in November last year.

• José María Giménez hit the only goal for a Uruguay side also including Godín and Cristian Rodríguez in a 1-0 friendly victory over Son Heung-Min's South Korea last September.

• Godín lost the 2010 World Cup third-place play-off with Uruguay against a Germany team that included Stefan Kiessling (2-3).

• Other player links:
Mandžukić with Tin Jedvaj and Dario Krešić (Croatia);
Arda Turan with Ömer Toprak and Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Turkey).

Match facts

Leverkusen
• Spahić and Sebastian Boenisch are both a booking away from a suspension. Ömer serves a one-game ban following his dismissal against SL Benfica on matchday six.

• Leverkusen went into the winter break in third place in the Bundesliga, 17 points behind leaders FC Bayern München. They are now sixth, 22 points off the pace.

• Having gone half a dozen games without defeat, a sequence that started on matchday six, the Werkself had lost their last two – 2-1 against SV Werder Bremen on 8 February and 5-4 at home to Wolfsburg six days later – before Saturday's 2-2 draw at FC Augsburg.

• Three goals down after 17 minutes against Wolfsburg, Leverkusen managed to level at 4-4 thanks to a hat-trick from Son. Bas Dost's fourth of the afternoon won it for the visitors in added time.

• That fixture was Son's second since returning from the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia – where he scored three goals, including the equaliser in the final against the hosts – as South Korea finished runners-up.

 • Australia striker Robbie Kruse was ruled out for three to four months with the ankle injury he sustained in the Asian Cup final.

• Jedvaj, who last month made permanent his loan move from AS Roma, suffered a hamstring injury on 10 January at Leverkusen's winter training camp in Florida.

• Bender sustained a knee injury against Wolfsburg and is a doubt for the first leg.

• Leverkusen defeated Fluminense FC 3-0 and lost 2-1 to SC Corinthians Paulista while in Florida. In their last friendly before the Bundesliga resumption, Leverkusen triumphed 4-1 at 1. FSV Mainz 05.

• Bellarabi extended his contract until June 2020 on 20 February.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: David Yelldell
• Out: Niklas Lomb (Hallescher FC, loan), Levin Öztunali (SV Werder Bremen, loan)

Atlético
• Cristian Ansaldi, Gabi and Godín are all a booking away from a ban.

• Atlético have played 15 times since matchday six, their record reading: W8 D2 L5.

• Simeone's team were third, four points off the pace, at the end of the group stage. Atlético are still third but now seven points adrift of Liga leaders Real Madrid.

• The Rojiblancos suffered their fifth Liga defeat of the campaign – one more than in the whole of last season when they won the title − in succumbing 2-0 to RC Celta de Vigo on 15 February. They were 3-0 home winners against UD Almería on Saturday.

• Atlético defeated Madrid 4-0 at home on 7 February, completing their first Liga double over the European champions in 64 years. Atlético are unbeaten in six games against their city rivals since the 2014 UEFA Champions League final.

• Koke is out of the first leg having sustained a hamstring injury early on against Madrid. Tiago (back) was substituted before half-time in Vigo but recovered to start against Almería.

• Fernando Torres has scored three goals – all in the Copa del Rey, against Madrid (2) and FC Barcelona (1) – in ten appearances since rejoining Atlético last month.

• Atlético's Copa del Rey campaign was ended in the quarter-finals by Barcelona, who ran out 4-2 aggregate winners.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: Cani (Villarreal CF, loan), Fernando Torres (AC Milan, loan)
• Out: Alessio Cerci (AC Milan, loan), Cristian Rodríguez (Parma FC)