OFI Crete vs. Bayer Leverkusen: UEFA Europa League live blog and preview

Bayer Leverkusen have the chance to make it three wins out of three in the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League as they visit OFI Crete on Thursday (kick-off: 6:45pm CEST).

Runners-up on their last Europa League adventure under Xabi Alonso in 2023/24, Leverkusen are one of 10 teams to have made a perfect start to this season’s league phase. Carles Martínez’s men have so far beaten Celje of Slovenia 2-0 at home and then won 4-0 at Lech Poznań last week. Sitting second in the table behind Juventus on goals scored, the Werkself are one of three sides yet to concede in the competition.

OFI ended their quarter-of-a-century absence from the main stage of a UEFA competition after winning the Greek Cup for only the second time in their history by beating PAOK in extra-time last season. The club from the island of Crete, who finished sixth in the 2025/26 Greek Super League, kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 2-0 victory at home to Hoffenheim. They followed that up with a 2-1 loss at Rennes to sit 18th.

Follow the match below!

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OFI

Thu, 22.10 16:45

Leverkusen

Europa League
League phase, Matchday 3 League phase, Matchday 3 Pankritio, Heraklion

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0:53

Watch: Martínez targets perfect performance in Crete

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3:09

Maza the next big name in the making?

There are shades of past Leverkusen greats Michael Ballack, Kai Havertz, Toni Kroos and Florian Wirtz in Ibrahim Maza.

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0:53

History-making Patrik Schick

Bayer Leverkusen's goal-getter was in exactly the right place to convert Ibrahim Maza's cutback against Freiburg to become the first player in the club's history to score in each of the opening six matchdays of a Bundesliga season, surpassing the previous club record of five set by Dimitar Berbatov in 2005/06 and Stefan Kießling in 2009/10.

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2:03

Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Freiburg - highlights

Carles Martínez's charges secured a comeback victory against early pace-setters Freiburg with goals from Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza either side of the break securing Leverkusen a third straight Bundesliga win.

OFI Crete: The story so far

Strikes from Aitor Cantalapiedra and Georgios Kanellopoulos secured the Greek outfit a 2-0 home victory over Hoffenheim, but they suffered a Matchday 2 defeat against France's Rennes despite taking an early lead through Taxiarchis Fountas.

© IMAGO/Baptiste Autissier

Leverkusen: The story so far

Leverkusen started their European campaign with a 2-0 home win over Slovenian outfit Celje before Patrik Schick struck twice in a 4-0 victory over Poland's Lech Poznań, with Malik Tillman and Ibrahim Maza among the goals as Carles Martínez's charges enjoy back-to-back victories in this season's competition.

© Mateusz Slodkowski

Welcome!

Follow all the build-up and live action as Bayer Leverkusen visit Greece's OFI Crete in their third fixture of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase (kick-off: 6:45pm CEST).

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