Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen are all set to host second-placed Bayern Munich in the potential title decider.
Bayer Munich could claim the top spot in the league with a win and an away win over Bayer Leverkusen. But, it won’t be easy because the home team are the only team in Europe’s top five leagues that has not lost a game all season long.
Leverkusen sit top of the Bundesliga with 52 points out of their 20 matches. They have won 16 matches and have played out a draw on four occasions. They have been exceptional in all areas and deserve to sit at the very top.
Xabi Alonso’s team have won four out of their last five league games and are heading into this one on the back of a 3-2 win over VfB Stuttgart in the quarter-finals of the DFB Pokal. It was not their best performance but they got the job done.
Against Bayern Munich, they will have to produce their very best if they want to claim all three points. The German giants are second on the points table with 50 points in their 20 outings. Even though they have won 16 of those fixtures, they have suffered two defeats.
The Reds have won four out of their last five league games, one of those fixtures ended in a defeat. Despite dominating the proceedings, they ended up losing 1-0 to Werder Bremen. It was a huge blow to their title pursuit but they can get things back on track by defeating the unbeaten Leverkusen.
The reverse fixture between the two teams ended in a 2-2 draw. It was a closely-fought encounter and similar is expected this time out. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Bayer Leverkusen
Victor Boniface and Arthur are both out injured, while Odilon Kossounou is still away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. Exequiel Palacios who has missed their last three outings, is a doubt for this one as well.
Xabi Alonso is expected to go ahead with the 3-4-2-1 formation for this fixture. Lukas Hradecky will take charge in goal. Edmond Tapsoba will pair up with Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie in the heart of the defence. The back three will look for a clean sheet, and they will have the support of Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo who will feature as the wing-backs.
Meanwhile, Robert Andrich will feature alongside Granit Xhaka in the centre of the park. The duo will look to control the tempo of this game and ensure Bayern Munich do not end up dominating the proceedings.
Jonas Hofmann and Florian Wirtz will feature as the two attacking midfielders on either side. They will have the freedom to drift wide as well as feature just behind their striker Borja Iglesias in order to create chances to get their team on the scoresheet.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Iglesias
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich do have a fresh injury concern in Alphonso Davies as he picked up a knee injury last weekend. He will join Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Daniel Peretz, Tarek Buchmann, and Bouna Sarr on the sidelines.
The fitness levels of Konrad Laimer and Bryan Zaragoza will be assessed ahead of kick-off. Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Joshua Kimmich and Dayot Upamecano are back fit and can be available for this fixture. Kim Min-jae is back from international duty and is available for selection.
Thomas Tuchel will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Manuel Neuer will be in goal. Noussair Mazraoui and Raphael Guerreiro will be the two full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Kim Min-jae will feature alongside Matthijs De Ligt.
Aleksandar Pavlovic will pair up with Leon Goretzka in the centre of the park. They will be the double pivot in front of the back line. They will look to protect the defenders and ensure they are the ones who dictate the pace of this game. Thomas Muller will be the attacking midfielder behind star striker Harry Kane. Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala could be the winger for this one.
Probable Lineup(4-2-3-1): Neuer; Mazraoui, Kim, De Ligt, Guerreiro; Pavlovic, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Musiala; Kane
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have won 34 out of the last 55 matches against Bayer Leverkusen who have only won 10 times so far.
- Bayer Leverkusen have not lost in their last two outings against Bayern Munich. The reverse fixture between the two teams ended in a 2-2 draw.
- The home team have been unbeaten since the start of the 2023/24 season (all competitions).
- Bayer Leverkusen’s 52 points out of their 20 league fixtures is the third-best tally at this stage of the season by any club in the history of the Bundesliga.
- Bayern Munich are the highest-scoring team in the division with 59 goals while Leverkusen are second with 52.
Player to Watch
Florian Wirtz
The 20-year-old sensation has been on another level in the ongoing season. The German international has been the most influential player for Xabi Alonso’s team, he has featured in 28 matches in all competitions this season and has managed to contribute towards 23 goals.
As far as the Bundesliga is concerned, he has scored five goals and has bagged eight assists in his 20 outings. Leverkusen will look to ensure their unbeaten run remains intact, and Wirtz will have to play a big role in order to ensure that happens.
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Bayern Munich
In the last meeting, neither Bayer Leverkusen nor Bayern Munich managed to come out on top as it ended 2-2. Something similar could be on the cards this time out. Both teams are in form and they have quality players in their squad, their recent form suggests there is not much to separate them and as a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-2 draw once again.