#bayer-leverkusen

#bayer-leverkusen

Leverkusen had lost all three of their games in 2026 so far, but they stayed within touching distance of the Bundesliga top five with their first win since mid-December. Patrik Schick thought he had put Leverkusen ahead, only for his goal to be ruled out for handball in the 12th minute, while Ernest Poku blazed over from very close range. But Vazquez clinically slotted home in the 37th minute after lovely link-up play with Ibrahim Maza set him up just inside the penalty area.

Olympiacos are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Bayer Leverkusen. Konstantinos Tzolakis will be in goal and will have Costinha, Panagiotis Retsos, Giulian Biancone and Francisco Ortega in front of him in defence. Dani Garcia and Santiago Hezze will be the two holding midfielders. Yusuf Yazici, Chiquinho and Gelson Martins will be deployed in attacking midfield. Mehdi Taremi will lead the line for Olympiacos.

Erik ten Hag spent four succesful years with Ajax before joining Manchester United Ten Hag managed Ajax for four years between 2018 and 2022, winning three Eredivisie titles before leaving to join Man United. He has not been tempted by a reunion with the Amsterdam side, though, due to insufficient basis for a successful collaboration in the short term. This follows the resignation of the club's technical director Alex Kroes, who departed alongside Heitinga.

Now, let's talk central defenders. Those likely to dominate transfer talk heading in 2026 are the big three potential Bosman free transfers in the shape of Marc Guehi, Ibrahima Konate, and Dayot Upamecano. But there are others we need to look at including Edmond Tapsoba , who was so close to joining Tottenham Hotspur when they were chasing him and Micky van de Ven, but they opted for the Dutchman.

Liverpool's 116million move for Florian Wirtz was one of the statement signings of the summer transfer window, as the Reds saw off rivals such as Bayern Munich and Manchester City to land the German playmaker. The move was briefly a British transfer record and although the 22-year-old - who was ranked by FourFourTwo at No.1 in a list of the game's best attacking midfielders - is yet to open his Liverpool goalscoring account, the club will be confident he will be a key player for years to come.