Monaco vs Bayer Leverkusen

Monaco came from a 1-0 halftime deficit to topple Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 in the first leg of their Europa League knockout playoff tie, carrying an all-important lead into the return leg at the Stade Louis II.

As the highest-scoring affair among all first-leg encounters, this enthralling match-up is far from over. Yet Monaco’s incredible form of five consecutive wins in all competitions suggests they have what it takes to get this over the line. Monaco’s first-leg triumph in Germany marked their sixth unbeaten match against Leverkusen in major European competitions (W4, D2, L1), with two of their three previous H2H in France seeing ‘Les Monégasques’ come out on top (W2, D1). Indeed, the hosts’ aura of invincibility at the Stade Louis II has witnessed Philippe Clement’s side go unbeaten in their last 13 home outings in the Europa League (W9, D4) since losing to Leverkusen’s fellow Bundesliga rivals Borussia Monchengladbach in 1996.

As for Bayer Leverkusen, slow to react to a first-leg heartbreak, Xavi Alonso’s team fell to a 3-2 home defeat to Mainz in the Bundesliga last weekend, losing crucial ground on European placings. With the prospect of winning the Europa League now looking far-fetched, ‘Die Adler’ must rally their troops and try to defy an unwanted piece of history. The Germans have suffered elimination from all 11 previous two-legged knockout ties in major European competitions after losing the first leg on home turf. But after winning twice on their three competitive travels in 2023 (L1), the visitors won’t give up on their bid to turn this tie on its head. Ominously for Alonso, his men haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 11 matches.