Leverkusen (Germany) – Spanish coach Xabi Alonso advised his players not to think too much about what will happen after the match between his team, Bayer Leverkusen, tomorrow, Sunday, with its guest, Werder Bremen, as there will be an opportunity to win the club’s first title in the German Football League.
After 42 matches played in all competitions this season, Leverkusen is still unbeaten, which puts it 16 points ahead of both the Bavarian giants Bayern Munich and Stuttgart, in addition to reaching the final of the local cup, where it will meet second-tier Kaiserslautern on May 25, and it has come a long way. Towards the semi-finals of the Europa League, with its victory on Thursday over its English guest, West Ham United, 2-0, in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
Existing opportunity
Leverkusen will have the opportunity to secure its first title in the German League when it hosts Werder Bremen on Sunday at the end of the twenty-ninth stage, as it will need to win to be crowned champion regardless of the results of Bayern and Stuttgart on Saturday against Cologne and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively.
Alonso said on Friday in a press conference for the Bremen match, “The team is focused… I have confidence, and if we do that (win), we will have something to celebrate. But there are 90 minutes to play in order to achieve this victory.”
The 42-year-old speaks from experience, as he previously won the league title four times as a player with Spanish Real Madrid (2012) and Bayern Munich (2015, 2016 and 2017).
Based on his experience, the Basque coach advised his players, “Do not think too much about what will happen next,” adding, “Fortunately, this is not our only chance (to win the title). But of course, we would like to win on Sunday. Celebrating the title on our home soil with the fans will be nice.”
Mathematically, Leverkusen could win the title on Saturday without playing if Bayern and Stuttgart lose, but Alonso rules out this scenario because “it would be a very big surprise.” He continued, “To be honest, I would rather win the title on the field with our victory.” With his usual smile, Alonso responded in Spanish to the journalists who came to Leverkusen specifically to watch the club celebrate the title, while also translating his responses into German, refusing to plan possible celebrations if the title is won.
Complete the walk
For his part, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel hopes to complete the campaign in the Champions League after the disastrous season in the league and cup. Its 2-2 draw with host Arsenal on Tuesday means that it needs to win the second leg or decide on penalties to qualify for the semi-finals in next Wednesday’s match, which is preceded by the Cologne match.
The Bavarian team enters the match with doubts surrounding the participation of striker Serge Gnabry in its upcoming matches after he suffered a muscle strain in his left knee during the match against Arsenal, according to what the club announced on Wednesday.
After two consecutive losses in the league (to rivals Borussia Dortmund 0-2 and Heidenheim 2-3), Bayern may also give up the runner-up position if it is unable to return to winning ways and Stuttgart continues its positive results, the most recent of which is a victory over Dortmund itself 1-0.