Bayer Leverkusen are playing no true central striker against Barcelona, while the visitors are without Xavi due to a calf problem. The Cules are going with a slightly conservative lineup by their standards, starting Adriano in their front three to protect Daniel Alves. Gerard Pique is not fit, so Javier Mascherano plays in defense. Andre Schürrle will act as Bayer's striker and has played there before, but is primarily a wide player. They've gone with an attacking 4-2-3-1 for most of the season, but with Sidney Sam out and Barca coming to town, they've changed things up. Here are the lineups.
Bayer Leverkusen Vs. Barcelona, 2012 UEFA Champions League: Lineups
Bayer Leverkusen starting lineup (4-3-3): Bernd Leno; Michal Kadlec, Manuel Friedrich, Daniel Schwaab, Vedran Corluka; Stefan Reinartz, Simon Rolfes, Lars Bender; Gonzalo Castro, Andre Schurrle, Renato Augusto.
Substitutes from: David Yelldell, Stefan Kiessling, Bastian Oczipka, Omer Toprak, Michael Ortega, Karim Bellarabi, Danny da Costa.
FC Barcelona starting lineup (4-3-3): Victor Valdes; Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano, Dani Alves; Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas; Adriano, Alexis Sanchez, Lionel Messi.
Substitutes from: Jose Manuel Pinto, Pedro, Thiago Alcantara, Jonathan dos Santos, Marc Bartara, Sergi Roberto, Isaac Cuenca.
Kickoff is at 2:45 p.m. from the BayArena in Germany. You can catch the game on FOX Soccer Channel on the USA and on Sportsnet regional networks in Canada.
For more on the Blaugranas, check out FC Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes.
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