Champions League

B04 Leverkusen Bayer Leverkusen - VIL Villareal Villareal

Leverkusen Bayer Leverkusen

Villareal Villareal

A. Grimaldo
57'

M. Tillman
35'
M. Tillman
12'

BayArena

Espen Andreas Eskås

Full-time: Leverkusen 3-0 Villarreal

A superb performance from the hosts sees them comfortably through to the round of 16. Even better news for Leverkusen, they have leapfrogged Dortmund to take the final seeded position in the next round.

Full-time

90'

Added time

There will be three extra minutes to play.

89'

Tapsoba returns

After a lengthy absence because of AFCON and an injury, Tapsoba is back on the pitch for Leverkusen.

89'

Substitution

Edmond Tapsoba

Alejandro Grimaldo

87'

Mikautadze has a go

But his effort is tame and easy for Blaswich.

85'

Poku has a go

The Dutchman lets fly from the edge of the box, but Tenas is equal to the effort.

82'

Substitution

Pape Gueye

Santi Comesaña

79'

As it stands

Leverkusen are now up to 16th in the table and will therefore be seeded for the next round. Dortmund are the team to drop out of the top 16 as they are 1-0 down against Inter.

74'

Worth a go

Kofane wriggles free in the box and has a try from a tight angle, but misses the target.

70'

Substitution

Exequiel Palacios

Aleix García

70'

Substitution

Ernest Poku

Ibrahim Maza

69'

Substitution

Daniel Budesca

Nicolas Pépé

67'

Fernández shoots

And misses the target by some margin.

65'

Substitution

Dani Parejo

Alassane Diatta

64'

Unlucky

Pépé does superbly to beat a couple of players on the right before trying to beat Blaswich at his near post. Blaswich stands up big and makes the save.

62'

Double change

With a win and a place in the next round seemingly assured, Hjulmand decides to rotate with Kofane and Arthur replacing Schick and Vázquez.

62'

Substitution

Arthur

Lucas Vázquez

62'

Substitution

Christian Kofane

Patrik Schick

Grimaldo adds a third

Just a minute after the penalty shout, Leverkusen are surely out of sight. Vázquez whips in a great cross from the right that is met perfectly on the volley by Grimaldo. 3-0!

57'

Alejandro Grimaldo

GOAL!

3:0

56'

Penalty?

No. Pépé goes down theatrically in the box after a reckless challenge from Fernández. There is a bit of contact, but apparently not enough to overturn the referee's initial decision of a dive.

55'

Yellow card

Nicolas Pépé

54'

Close

A García free-kick is flicked over the bar by a Villarreal defender.

53'

Lucky boy

Navarro pulls Maza to the ground, and he is already on a yellow, but the referee decides to be lenient.

52'

Yellow card

Rafa Marín

50'

More intent

The visitors have looked much more alert since the break. They are looking to spread the game with long balls in behind the defence.

46'

Back underway

And Villarreal have made two changes at the break as Mikautadze and López are on for Partey and Buchanan.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 2

Substitution

Georges Mikautadze

Thomas Partey

45'

+ 2

Substitution

Hugo López

Tajon Buchanan

Half-time: Leverkusen 2-0 Villarreal

And it could be more. Tillman's brace has Leverkusen in complete control at the break, and it is no less than they deserve given the chances they have had. By contrast, Villarreal can't seem to string three passes together, allowing the hosts to regularly regain possession in dangerous areas. Right now, Leverkusen are looking comfortable in their bid for qualification for the play-off round.

Half-time

45'

+ 1

Yellow card

Pau Navarro

45'

Added time

Just one minute of extra time will be played.

45'

More threat

A long ball over the top almost sets Schick free, but the striker is eventually crowded out in the box.

43'

Almost another chance

Maza does superbly to spin and get at the Villarreal defence. He then tries to slip in Vázquez, but Veiga gets back to make the challenge just in time.

40'

As things stand

Leverkusen are currently 17th in the standings, but if they are going to finish in the seeded section of the play-off draw, they will need to add a few more goals to their tally.

Tillman doubles the lead

Maza is fed in the box before laying the ball back to Grimaldo. He then floats a cross into the box that Schick nods down into the path of the onrushing Tillman, and the American grabs his second of the night with a great finish.

35'

Malik Tillman

GOAL!

2:0

33'

More danger

A good cross from Maza is cleared just in front of the goalkeeper.

Maza and co terrorising Villarreal

The visitors just can't get out of their own half. Leverkusen are in complete control, but for now, it is only 1-0.

28'

Schick the latest to have a go

The striker meets a cross on the volley, but again his effort is straight at Tenas. He might have been offside, though.

26'

How did that stay out?

Leverkusen pounce on yet another loose pass. Maza then bursts forward before shooting with his left, only to see the effort bounce off the post, hit Tenas, then the bar and somehow stay out - incredible stuff.

25'

Tillman almost adds a second

Maza gets the ball on the spin and feeds Grimaldo on the left. The Spaniard then lays the ball back to Tillman, who has a go, but his effort deflects narrowly wide.

21'

First chance

Veiga gets his head on a Pépé free-kick, and his effort only narrowly drifts wide. That is a warning for Leverkusen.

19'

Badé with two chances

After more atrocious build-up play from Villarreal, Badé nicks possession in the Villarreal penalty area, but he can only fire straight at Tenas. He then gets onto the second ball and again fires straight at the goalkeeper. García then has a go, and his effort is saved too.

18'

Villarreal offering nothing

Despite their good standing in La Liga, Villarreal are very much playing like a side that sit second bottom in the Champions League League phase. Just zero confidence.

Leverkusen lead!

Villarreal have been trying to play out from the back and making a mess of it for the last few minutes, and this time they are punished as Tenas takes too long to clear and Tillman blocks the goalkeeper's clearance, scoring in the process. No less than the hosts have deserved.

12'

Malik Tillman

GOAL!

1:0

10'

Opportunity wasted

A stunning pass from García sets Grimaldo through in the box, but instead of shooting, he looks for the pass, and the chance goes to waste. Maza then gets on a loose pass and hits a half-volley, but misses the target.

Dangerous

A Grimaldo free-kick takes a couple of awkward deflections on its way in before landing in the gloves of Tenas.

Leverkusen creating early pressure

The hosts have started well, with Tillman getting into dangerous positions. Grimaldo has also had a shot blocked already.

We're underway

The ball is moving in Leverkusen.

Kick-off!

The famous anthem

The Champions League anthem is playing, and the players are on the pitch.

Players in the tunnel

Not long now until we get underway on the final matchday of the League phase.

A first look at Omlin in Leverkusen colours

The Gladbach goalkeeper has been called in on loan to help provide cover for the injured Flekken.

Villarreal's fresh face

20-year-old midfielder Diatta Alassane is making his Champions League debut tonight in what will be only his second ever game for the club.

Leverkusen's bench

Some of the most interesting changes can be found on Leverkusen's bench, where Omlin is ready to make his debut, having arrived on loan from Gladbach, and Tapsoba returns to the bench.

More on that Leverkusen team

Hjulmand has decided to make considerably fewer changes than his counterpart for this one, as only Ernest Poku (bench) and Jonas Hofmann (ineligible) drop out of the squad. They are replaced by Ezequiel Fernández and Malik Tillman (pictured).

More on that Villarreal team

Renato Veiga, Pau Navarro and Tajon Buchanan (pictured) are the only three Villarreal players to keep their spots from the club's defeat against Real Madrid at the weekend.

Starting line-up: Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Leverkusen subs

Omlin, Lomb, Tapsoba, Arthur, Tape, Poku, Palacios, Kofane, Culbreath

Starting line-up: Villarreal CF

Villarreal subs

Júnior, Conde, Moreno, Mikautadze, Parejo, Gueye, Moleiro, Pedraza, Budesca, López

Leverkusen inching towards qualification

Tonight's hosts were in a great position to qualify after Matchday 5, but a draw against Newcastle and a loss against Olympiacos last time out has Die Werkself sitting in 20th. That means Leverkusen still have qualification in their own hands, and they could still even finish in the top 16 for a seeded draw in the play-off round, but anything less than a win, and Leverkusen will be nervously checking the other results tonight.

Villarreal's disastrous European form

The visitors haven't won in their last 10 Champions League proper matches (D2, L8). They have also lost their last four European away matches without scoring a goal. That run includes a 4-0 away defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 5.

Marcelino on Aleix García

Leverkusen's Spanish metronome came through at Villarreal under the 60-year-old back in 2015. When asked about the midfielder, Villarreal's head coach had this to say: "He made his debut under me away to Athletic Club, did pre-season with us and then signed for Man City. He's been through a lot, gone around the block to be at this elite level. He got back into football because he's very talented and has a lot of ability. I was happy for him because I know him and his parents."

Early Villarreal team news

The visitors, meanwhile, are without several first-team players. Ayoze Pérez, Juan Foyth, Alfon González, Pau Cabanes, Willy Kwambala and Logan Costa are all unavailable due to a series of issues, while Santiago Mouriño is suspended.

Early Leverkusen team news

Eliesse Ben Seghir, Mark Flekken and Nathan Tella are all set to miss out on this encounter. The good news for Hjulmand, though, is that Edmond Tapsoba has a chance of making the matchday squad following his muscle issue. Jonas Omlin, having joined from Borussia Mönchengladbach, could be included for the first time.

Marcelino on facing Leverkusen

"They're a team with great potential and one that has invested a lot of money. They have undergone changes, but they have won away at Manchester City and Benfica. It will be a difficult match against an agile, dynamic and fast opponent. They represent very well what German football and the league stand for. We will try to counter it."

Lucas Vázquez on Leverkusen's Spanish opponents

"They are having a great season in La Liga. Their team and players are very strong. They will come here to cause us problems...We know what we did wrong in the last few games. As an experienced player, I want to help the club go further. [Against Villarreal], we need to win."

Kasper Hjulmand on facing Villarreal

"It's a really important game for us, we want to progress to the next round. That's our very clear goal. Should it be necessary, we will of course have the scores from the other games on the bench in the final phase of the game. But we play to win, that's our mentality. That's how we'll go into tomorrow's game."

Omlin in to cover

Leverkusen announced on Tuesday that they had signed Jonas Omlin on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach for the rest of the season to cover for the injured Mark Flekken. The Swiss goalkeeper is also eligible in the Champions League as keepers can be replaced in registered squads in the event of a long-term injury. However, it's expected that Janis Blaswich will continue in net against Villarreal.

The Yellow Submarine searching for wins

Villareal arrive in Leverkusen having lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in LaLiga, their third consecutive loss in all competitions. They're currently fourth in the league, and seven points clear of Espanyol in fifth. In Europe, however, they haven't been able to convert their form and they sit second from bottom in the standings having collected just one point so far.

2:03

Watch: Leverkusen 1-0 Bremen - highlights

Lucas Vázquez's first-half strike was enough to stop the rot for Leverkusen and earn them three points versus a resilient Bremen side on Saturday at the BayArena. A welcome win ahead of the visit of Villarreal!

Good omens

Leverkusen have won five and drawn one of their last six Champions League group/league phase matches against Spanish opposition, while Villarreal are without a win in their last five European away games against Bundesliga clubs (D3 L2).

4:32

Watch: Grimaldo - Leverkusen's beating heart

Alejandro Grimaldo has been as important as ever for Leverkusen this campaign. Take a look at what makes him so special.

Head-to-head

Leverkusen have yet to get the better of Villarreal, who have won three and drawn one of the sides’ four meetings to date. All four of those games have been in the UEFA Europa League, with the Spanish club triumphing in the last 16 in both 2010/11 and 2015/16. This is the teams’ first-ever meeting in the Champions League.

Villarreal - the story so far

The 2025/26 league phase campaign has been one to forget for Villarreal, whose only point so far came at home to Juventus on Matchday 2. Borussia Dortmund are one of six sides to have beaten the La Liga outfit, who also lost to Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Pafos, Copenhagen and Ajax. Second-bottom with a game to spare, the Yellow Submarine’s hopes of securing a knockout stage play-off spot are already over.

Leverkusen - the story so far

Die Werkself find themselves in a somewhat precarious position heading into their final game. They have only lost two of their seven matches, but Kasper Hjulmand’s side have only beaten Benfica (1-0) and Manchester City (2-0) so far. They have drawn their other three games, leaving them in 20th place on nine points. Victory at home to Villarreal will clinch their place in the knockout stage play-offs, although a draw might well be enough too.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of the UEFA Champions League fixture between Bayer Leverkusen and Villarreal.