Bayer Leverkusen v FC Barcelona – Preview, Prediction, TV Listings, Betting Odds – Champions League – 14 February 2012
Defending champions FC Barcelona begin the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a first leg against German side Bayer Leverkusen. The match will take place at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany on Tuesday, February 14, 2012. Kickoff is scheduled for 14:45 EST (USA Eastern), 19:45 GMT (UK time), and 20:45 CET (Central Europe).
Bayer Leverkusen v FC Barcelona TV Listings
The match will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel (USA), Sky Sports 2 (UK), Sky Sport (Germany/Italy), Sport TV1 (Portugal), SuperSport (Africa), TVE La Primera (Spain), TV6 (Latvia/Estonia/Luthiania), TV10 (Sweden), TV3 (Ireland), C+ Sport (France), Sport 1 (Netherlands), Rogers Sportsnet (Canada), Al Jazeera Sport (Middle East).
Bayer Leverkusen v FC Barcelona Preview
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola
“It’s always been very difficult to get into this competition [after the break], and it’s always a risk to play against Germans. Against Stuttgart (1-1), two years ago, they deserved much more.”
“it’s vital that we score.”
“If we allow Bayer Leverkusen to run … they are a lot stronger than we are. They have four or five players that are 1.90m tall and they’ve scored a lot of goals off dead balls. They can put you in a bind if you don’t control the game. It’s the biggest virtue German sides have.”
“now that it appears as though the league is difficult [to win], it seems as though we are obligated to win the Champions League. As if that were easy. It’s not. The challenge is to compete and at the end of the season we’ll see where we are.
“We have to take this one step at a time, because winning the Champions League is a serious challenge. I will not promise that we’ll win it. We didn’t promise that in the first year, when we nobodies, and we won’t promise to win the title now.”
“we were penalized (against Osasuna) for not adapting as quickly as possible to game conditions and game circumstances.”
Bayer Leverkusen manager Robin Dutt
“Nobody has ever believed in us in the Champions League. We went behind twice – to Valencia and to Chelsea – and in the end, the winners were Bayer Leverkusen.”
Team UCL Stats
| Bayer Leverkusen | Barcelona | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Eren Derdiyok 2 | Lionel Messi 6 |
| Assists | Michael Ballack 2 | Lionel Messi 3 |
| Yellows | Michael Ballack 2 | Dani Alves 3 |
Upcoming UCL Fixtures
| Bayer Leverkusen | Barcelona | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/14 | Barcelona | 2/14 | @Bayer Leverkusen |
| 3/7 | @Barcelona | 3/7 | Bayer Leverkusen |
Bayer Leverkusen v FC Barcelona Prediction
FC Barcelona wins 3-1
Bayer Leverkusen v FC Barcelona Betting Odds
Bayer Leverkusen win – 7/1
Draw – 7/2
Barcelona win – 2/5
