Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola is full of praise for a man who already got the better of him once in 2014 and is looking to do the same again this weekend.
Roger Schmidt was in charge of the Red Bull Salzburg side which defeated a seemingly unbeatable Bayern 3-0 in a friendly way back in January.
That game may not have been more than a mid-season friendly, but Schmidt did enough to leave a lasting impression on Guardiola.
``Leverkusen are a fantastic team and I am a big, big fan of the way they play and of their coach,'' Guardiola said on Friday.
``They always follow his ideas. Coaches like Roger are good for football. I like the way his teams play.''
Leverkusen have not been such a good friend of Bayern's on the field in recent years, though.
They are the last Bundesliga side to win at the Allianz Arena, triumphing 2-1 in October 2012, while they managed to hold Bayern to a 1-1 draw last season, winning two and drawing one of their last five meetings.
That gives them plenty of reason to feel they can come away with something this Saturday.
``We've just got to believe in ourselves,'' Schmidt said at a press conference. ``We've got to do all the things that we are capable of doing.
``I'm optimistic that we can create chances and if we don't ignore our defensive duties, then we could be uncomfortable opponents for Bayern.''
Creating chances has not been much of a problem this season with Leverkusen taking more shots on goal (246) than any other side in the league, including Bayern (243), while Saturday evening's clash pits together the two most prolific attacks in the league.
``I don't imagine Leverkusen will come here only to defend,'' said Bayern forward Arjen Robben on his club's website.
``They play very intense football and will put us under a lot of pressure.''
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