Bayer Leverkusen Begin Their Europa League Campaign Against Celje

European nights at the BayArena feel different, and Bayer Leverkusen will get their first taste of it again on Wednesday, when NK Celje arrives in Germany for the opening match of the Europa League league phase.

Leverkusen return to a competition they know well. This will be their 21st appearance in the Europa League, and the club has a history with the tournament after their triumph in 1988 and their run to the final in 2024. This time, however, the objective is to begin the campaign in a convincing fashion.

The timing is important.

Die Werkself come into the game after a 2-2 draw away at Augsburg on Saturday, a result that felt more like two points dropped than one gained. Christian Kofane had given Leverkusen the lead and the visitors controlled large periods of the game, but Michael Gregoritsch turned the match around with two goals in the second half. Patrik Schick eventually rescued a point with a late equaliser.

The performance contained plenty to encourage head coach Carles Martínez. Bayer registered 30 shots, 14 corners, and 63 percent possession, while creating significantly more attacking volume than Augsburg. Yet the final score once again underlined the gap between controlling a game and putting it beyond reach.

That is something Bayer will want to correct against Celje.

The Slovenian champions arrive at the BayArena having lost 2-1 to NK Bravo in their most recent domestic fixture. They have also struggled for consistency in recent weeks, although there is one statistic that should prevent Leverkusen from approaching the game carelessly: Celje have scored in eight consecutive away matches.

This is not a side that can simply be assumed to disappear once Leverkusen takes control of possession.

There is also the novelty of the fixture. These clubs have never met before, meaning Wednesday will be the first competitive meeting between Leverkusen and Celje. It is also Celje's second participation in the Europa League, giving the Slovenian club a very different level of European experience to their opponents.

For Leverkusen, the bigger picture is considerably more ambitious.

The league phase will take them to Poland to face Lech Poznań, to Greece for OFI Crete and eventually to matches against Marseille, Dinamo Zagreb, Beşiktaş, Salzburg and Lyon. There is quality and variety throughout the schedule, meaning dropping points at home against an opponent like Celje could quickly become costly.

That makes Wednesday less about the name of the opponent and more about setting the tone.

Leverkusen have already shown this season that they can produce dominant spells of football. The challenge now is turning those spells into results with greater consistency.

The Augsburg match was another example. Die Werkself had enough possession, territory, and opportunities to win comfortably, but allowed their opponents back into the game. Schick's late goal prevented a damaging defeat, yet it also left Leverkusen with the feeling that they had made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves.

Celje should therefore arrive with a clear plan: stay compact, survive the early pressure, and look for the moments when Leverkusen leaves space behind the ball.

For Bayer, patience may be just as important as intensity.

This is the sort of European fixture where the favourite is expected to control proceedings from the opening whistle. The danger is becoming frustrated if the first goal does not arrive quickly.

Leverkusen has enough attacking quality to make the difference. They now need the performance to match the expectations.

A European campaign is beginning at the BayArena again.

And for Leverkusen, there is no reason to make the road any harder than it needs to be.