Bayer Leverkusen vs. Celje – News and Probable Lineups

As they kick off their Europa League journey, Bayer Leverkusen from the Bundesliga is set to host the Slovenian champions, Celje, who currently do not have a manager, at BayArena on Wednesday in their opening match of the group stage.

Die Werkself aims to secure their third consecutive win of the season this week, while Celje is keen to avoid a significant defeat following a challenging period.

Match overview

Carles Martinez Novell’s Leverkusen has started the 2026-27 season strongly, hoping to carry that momentum into European competitions.

Die Werkself achieved a convincing 4-0 win against Wehen Wiesbaden in the DFB-Pokal on August 22, marking the beginning of a streak of four matches where they scored at least twice in each fixture.

Martinez Novell’s squad continued this pattern in the Bundesliga, overpowering Union Berlin 4-0 on September 5 with strikes from four different players.

This victory highlighted the range of attacking talent Leverkusen possesses, although they were held to a 2-2 draw by Augsburg in their latest match, giving up an early lead and needing a late equaliser from Patrick Schick to secure a point.

Eager to see their team return to winning ways on Wednesday, the supporters at BayArena will be encouraged by the team’s impressive home record, which has seen them lose only twice at home since January.

On the other hand, Celje finds themselves in turmoil after the departure of head coach Vitor Campelos on Monday, complicating their journey to Germany even further.

The management at Celje held discussions with their Portuguese manager early in the week, and it has been reported that the two parties reached a mutual decision to part ways after expressing significant disagreements.

Fans of the away team – who were already regarded as the underdogs on paper – will be seeking reasons to feel hopeful ahead of Wednesday’s clash, yet the reality is that their form has been quite poor.

Celje suffered a 2-1 defeat to Bravo on Saturday, a disappointing result that means they have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions.

The Slovenian champions have fared slightly better in away games recently but have only secured two victories on the road since May.

Team News

Leverkusen is dealing with several absences in the midfield, including 17-year-old defensive midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, who continues to face challenges with a mitochondrial disorder, as well as the more attack-oriented Nathan Tella, who is in recovery from a back injury.

Eliesse Ben Seghir is also a potential absentee due to a thigh problem, so expect Equi Fernandez and Aleix Garcia to start alongside Ibrahim Maza in the center of the pitch.

The Werkself’s right wing-back Montrell Culbreath is on the path to full recovery following a foot injury, but Jarell Quansah is prepared to fill in on the right side of a four-man defence that includes Facundo Medina, Edmond Tapsoba, and Miguel Gutierrez.

For Celje, they will be without suspended midfielder Andrej Kotnik, while Papa Daniel and Mark Zavukovnik are likely to start in a double pivot, with Svit Seslar playing in the number 10 position.

Moreover, Darko Hrka and Artemijus Tutyskinas are expected to partner in the centre of the defense, assisted by full-backs Pijus Sirvys and Milot Avdyli.

Bayer Leverkusen probable starting XI:

Spots; Quansah, Medina, Tapsoba, Gutierrez; Fernandez, Garcia; Diaby, Apple, Mulberry; Schick

Celje probable starting XI:

Lebanon; Sirvys, Hrka, Tutyskinas, Avdyli; Daniel, Zabukovnik; Dukuly, Seslar, Kvesic; Kucys

On paper, Leverkusen is favored to win, and their superiority is expected to show against the managerless opponents on Wednesday.

Die Werkself has been in terrific attacking form this season, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Celje concede at least three goals in the midweek fixture.