Bayer Leverkusen have exited the UEFA Europa League following a 4-2 aggregate loss to Atalanta in their last-16 tie.

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Schick has returned to light training after missing Leverkusen’s last four matches, including the first leg in Italy, with a calf injury. However, this return fixture comes too soon for the Bundesliga’s 20-goal second-top scorer this season. It has unfortunately also come at the wrong time for Wirtz, who tore his ACL in Sunday’s derby defeat to Cologne and will be out for a considerable period of time. Jeremie Frimpong may also have kicked his last ball in 2021/22, but Odilon Kossounou is passed fit. Die Werkself also have the in-form Moussa Diaby, who will operate on the right-hand side of an attack completed by Amine Adli and Mitchel Bakker. Gerardo Seoane's team need to win by two goals in 90 minutes to guarantee their place in the quarter-finals. Remember that away goals have been abolished, so a win by one will take the tie to extra-time.

Although famed for their free-flowing attacking play, Atalanta have drawn blanks in their last two Serie A outings, losing 1-0 at Roma and drawing 0-0 at home to Genoa on Sunday. On top of that, it’s also only one win in their last eight domestic league outings, which was one of just three matches in that run where they have scored. It leaves them in sixth and eight points adrift of the top four. Italy’s last remaining Europa League representative has also only won one of their last five European away games. First-leg goalscorers Malinovskyi and Luis Muriel start again for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side on their first visit to Germany since losing 3-2 in Dortmund in 2018, but Aleksei Miranchuk is out with a hip problem. Marten de Roon also returns after missing the weekend through suspension.

Watch: All 20 of Schick's Bundesliga goals this season

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Match stats

• Diaby has four goals in his last three Europa League starts.
• Leverkusen have won four of the eight UEFA ties in which they lost the first leg away.
• Die Werkself’s overall home record in the UEFA Europa League, play-offs included, is W17 D5 L3. Their last defeat on home turf came last year against a Young Boys side then coached by Seoane.
• Atalanta have never won in Germany, having previously lost 3-2 to Dortmund in the 2017/18 round of 32 and drawn 1-1 with Cologne in 1991.
• Leverkusen forward Schick and Atalanta counterpart Muriel were strike partners at Sampdoria in 2016/17. They each scored 11 Serie A goals that season.
• Currently on 98 goals, Leverkusen are bidding to become the 14th club to reach a century of goals in the competition. This is their 51st match in the competition.

CONFIRMED line-ups

Leverkusen: Hradecky (c) - Fosu-Mensah, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie - Aranguiz, Palacios - Diaby, Demirbay, Bakker - Adli
Subs: Grill, Lomb, Kossounou, Paulinho, Andrich, Azmoun, Alario, Sinkgraven, Bellarabi
Out: Frimpong (ankle), Lunev (ankle), Schick (calf), Wirtz (knee)
Coach: Gerardo Seoane

Atalanta: Musso - Toloi (c), Demiral, Palomino - Hateboer, de Roon, Freuler, Zappacosta - Koopmeiners - Malinovskyi, Muriel
Subs: Rossi, Sportiello, Maehle, Boga, Pezzella, Djimsiti, Mihaila, Pessina Scalvini, Pasalic
Out: Ilicic (not included), Miranchuk (hip), Zapata (hamstring)
Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini