Europa League: Leverkusen wary of OFI Crete as Hofmann replaces injured Terrier
Bayer Leverkusen visit Greek Cup holders OFI Crete at 6:45 p.m. CET. They have won both Europa League games without conceding, but coach Carles Martínez expects a tough game.
Archive image · Photo: Ergotelis123 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Bayer Leverkusen play Greek Cup holders OFI Crete on the third matchday of the Europa League league phase. Kickoff at the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion is at 6:45 p.m. German time. Leverkusen arrive after a 4-0 win at Lech Poznan and have neither dropped a point nor conceded a goal in two games. It is the club's first European trip to Crete; Leverkusen won the only previous meeting 1-0 in the 1995 Intertoto Cup with a Markus Kurth penalty.
Coach Carles Martínez warned: "They are very competitive and have recently gained confidence internationally." He added: "We must and want to impose our game on them." Sporting director Simon Rolfes recalled the Greeks' opening result: "Of course it was a warning that they beat Hoffenheim 2-0 at home at the start of the Europa League."
Martin Terrier is out injured, and Jonas Hofmann was added to the squad. "With Martin we have lost a versatile player," Rolfes said. "Jonas can make up for that, he can also be used flexibly." According to the club, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Christian Kofane, Guéla Doué and Kennet Eichhorn also missed the final training session alongside Terrier.