Bayer Leverkusen v Club Brugge Match Preview, 01/11/2022

Match Facts

1. Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge have only met on two previous occasions in European competition, with the Belgian side unbeaten across those meetings – 1-1 in the UEFA Cup in October 2006 and 1-0 in the reverse fixture in this season’s UEFA Champions League.
2. Club Brugge have only won one of their previous 15 away games against German sides in European competition (D4 L10), although that lone victory did come in the most recent trip – a 2-1 victory at RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League group stage last season.
3. Bayer Leverkusen have won both previous occasions when they’ve hosted Belgian opposition in European competition, beating K. Lierse SK in 1997 (1-0) and KRC Genk in 2011 (2-0) – both in the UEFA Champions League.
4. Club Brugge have already qualified for the knockout stage in this season’s UEFA Champions League, and could finish top of their group for the very first time in a single edition of the tournament.
5. Bayer Leverkusen have only won one of their five matches in the UEFA Champions League (D1 L3), going winless in their last three. If they fail to win this game, it will be their joint-fewest victories in a single campaign in the competition, along with 1999-2000 and 2015-16 (one win in each).
6. Club Brugge are yet to concede away from home in the UEFA Champions League this season, beating FC Porto 4-0 and drawing 0-0 at Atlético Madrid. The Belgian side could keep three consecutive clean sheets away from home in the competition for the first time.
7. Club Brugge have only made three changes to their starting XI in the UEFA Champions League this season, with only Benfica (1) making fewer overall. Their opponents Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, have made 14 changes to their starting XI across their five matches.
8. Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick has played 18 times in the UEFA Champions League without scoring a goal. Indeed, his three goals in major European competition have all been scored in the UEFA Europa League, where he averages a goal every 138 minutes.  
9. Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has only conceded four goals in the UEFA Champions League this season, despite having faced an expected goals on target total of 9.1. Indeed, based on the quality of shots he has faced, Mignolet has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in this season’s competition (5).
10. Callum Hudson-Odoi – who scored against Atlético Madrid last time out – has created more chances (7) and made more successful take-ons (7) than any other Bayer Leverkusen player in the UEFA Champions League this season.