Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

Bayern Munich finally got one over Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, and they'll head to the BayArena on Tuesday with a 3-0 lead.

While Bayern were impressive on home soil last week, Leverkusen were undoubtedly the architects of their own demise. Nordi Mukiele's avoidable sending off arrived after goalkeeper Matej Kovar presented Jamal Musiala with a gift to double Die Roten's lead. Harry Kane's penalty sealed an emphatic victory for Vincent Kompany's side as they took a giant leap towards the quarter-finals.

Leverkusen beat Bayern 3-0 at home on their way to the Bundesliga title last season, but they'll have to pull off a mini-miracle on Tuesday in the absence of talisman Florian Wirtz.

Moreover, Alonso's side were unable to return to winning ways in Germany on Saturday as they fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Werder Bremen. At the same time, Bayern succumbed to a stunning 3-2 loss against the relegation-threatened Bochum at the Allianz Arena. Thus, their lead at the Bundesliga summit remains eight points.

Here's 90min's guide to this all-German affair in the Champions League.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich head-to-head record (last five games)

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich on TV - UK and US

Bayer Leverkusen team news

Florian Wirtz suffered an ankle injury at the weekend which will keep him out of the second leg / Pau Barrena/GettyImages

Alonso didn't rotate quite as drastically on the weekend as Kompany, although he did try to offer Wirtz some respite by naming him on the bench. However, the Leverkusen star entered the fray in the second half with Die Werkself chasing the game and was subsequently forced off after picking up an ankle injury.

Wirtz will miss the second leg and is out for the next few weeks.

Jeanuel Balacion and Martin Terrier are long-term absentees, while Granit Xhaka and Edmond Tapsoba are doubts for Tuesday's second leg due to knocks. Nordi Mukiele is suspended after his dismissal in Munich.

Bayer Leverkusen predicted lineup vs Bayern Munich

Leverkusen predicted lineup vs Bayern (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Tella, Adli; Boniface.

Bayern Munich team news

Manuel Neuer could be out for the rest of March / Alex Grimm/GettyImages

Bayern also have a significant absentee on Tuesday night. The visitors will be without Manuel Neuer due to a calf injury, and their long-time number one may not feature again until after the March international break.

Kompany otherwise has a relatively healthy squad at his disposal. Aleksandar Pavlovic is the only other doubt through illness.

Joshua Kimmich, Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Konrad Laimer, and Alphonso Davies are among the players that will return to the starting XI having either appeared off the bench or played no part at all against Bochum.

Bayern predicted lineup vs Leverkusen (4-2-3-1): Urbig; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Musiala, Coman; Kane.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich score prediction

Both teams have notable absentees and are bound to be less sure of themselves after what unfolded in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Nevertheless, Bayern's victory last week was a huge boost for Kompany's stock in Munich, and they're now heavy favourites to advance into the last eight after many projected an away win in the first leg.

It's not in their DNA, but Bayern can sit on their advantage and aim to hurt Leverkusen in transition. The hosts are bound to huff and puff in the absence of their leading playmaker, struggling without him on Saturday.

The visitors have done all the hard work, and they'll be happy to play out a rather dull second leg in Leverkusen.