Leverkusen dealt potential Wirtz injury blow ahead of Bayern second leg

Bayer Leverkusen face an anxious wait on the fitness of Florian Wirtz after he hobbled off injured in their 2-0 defeat to Werder Bremen on Saturday.

The midfielder, who came on as a half-time substitute, lasted just 14 minutes before he was replaced by Alex Grimaldo, and left the BayArena on crutches at full-time.

Wirtz has the most assists for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this season (10) and is also their second-highest scorer with nine goals, behind only Patrik Schick (16).

He has been a key player for Leverkusen once again this season, making 39 appearances in all competitions. He has created 82 chances (behind Grimaldo’s 90) but has created the most ‘big’ chances at 21.

Wirtz is now a doubt for their Champions League last-16 second-leg clash against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, a tie in which they are 3-0 down after the return leg.

“It is too early to say [if he can play against Bayern]. We have to wait for the results of the examination and see how he feels,” explained Leverkusen managing director Fernando Carro.

Leverkusen suffered their first defeat to Werder Bremen since December 2019, ending a nine-match unbeaten streak against them.

Xabi Alonso’s side had 18 shots in the game, worth 1.62 expected goals (xG), though they only had four on target, compared to Werder’s seven from 11 attempts (1.15 xG).

Leverkusen remain second in the Bundesliga table, still eight points behind Bayern, who also suffered a shock defeat to Bochum on Saturday.

The Werkself have now suffered back-to-back defeats in all competitions, and Alonso was frustrated by their performance.

“[Saturday] was bad. We didn’t play a good game. The result is not good,” Alonso said. “And now, the situation with some players.”

“I have to say that nothing worked. I’m responsible for that and not making those decisions [to rest key players] in the future again.

“It was between two big Champions League games. We needed to rotate. We have to use everyone, but today wasn’t good.

“Two defeats in a row isn’t something we’re used to. We’ll forget about this game as soon as possible. And we’ll now try to believe in what can happen on Tuesday.”