Preview: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen will welcome Atletico Madrid to Germany on Tuesday looking to win a last-16 tie in the Champions League for the first time.

The Bundesliga outfit reached the final of the competition in 2002, but that was when the tournament included a second group stage and since then, it has been a struggle for the German club in the latter stages.

Leverkusen have won three of their last four home games in the Champions League, but lost their last four two-legged ties against Spanish opposition.

In terms of their progression to this particular stage of the competition, Leverkusen finished second behind Monaco in Group C. In what was widely considered the weakest group, they won three of their six matches, drawing once and losing twice in the process.

They have also struggled for consistency in their domestic league this season, with 33 points from 22 games leaving them in sixth position.

Atletico, meanwhile, are bidding to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup for the seventh time. The Spanish side made it to the final of last season's competition, but were beaten in extra time by Real Madrid.

Atletico's away record against Bundesliga clubs is won five, drawn three and lost seven, but they have won five and lost just one of their nine away Champions League matches since September 2013.

Diego Simeone's side, who currently sit third in La Liga, made it to this stage of the competition by topping Group A with 13 points.

The home side will be without the services of Omer Toprak through suspension, while Robbie Kruse and Lars Bender are both expected to miss out. Head coach Roger Schmidt has no new fresh injury concerns, however, with Karim Bellarabi and Heung-Min Son both fit to start.

Spanish midfielder Koke is still on the sidelines for Atletico, meanwhile, but Simeone otherwise has a full complement of players. Raul Garcia is expected to come into the XI, while Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic will continue their partnership in attack.

The last time that these two sides met was in the group stages of the 2010-11 Europa League, with both matches ending in 1-1 draws.

Leverkusen:

Form in CL: LWWWLD Form in all competitions: DDWLLD

Possible starting lineup: Leno; Castro, Reinartz, Papadopoulos, Wendell; Brandt, Calhanoglu, Rolfes, Bellarabi; Son, Drmic

Atletico:

Form in CL: LWWWWD Form in all competitions: WLWWLW

Possible starting lineup: Oblak; Juanfran, Godin, Miranda, Siqueira; Gabi, Tiago, Garcia; Turan, Mandzukic, Griezmann

Sports Mole says: 0-1