Bayer Leverkusen are taking the idea gained from ending within the prime eight of the Champions League standings into the latter levels of their Bundesliga title defence.
Xabi Alonso’s males, who sit six factors behind leaders Bayern Munich in second place within the German prime flight, host Hoffenheim this weekend contemporary from securing direct passage to the Champions League final 16 by beating Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
“That is why we play within the Champions League — to compete on the highest degree,” mentioned Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah.
“We now have proven that we will compete with anybody at this degree.”
Leverkusen have solely misplaced one home match because the begin of final season in a exceptional run.
After a sluggish begin to the Bundesliga marketing campaign, Leverkusen have powered again into competition regardless of final weekend’s draw with RB Leipzig, once they let a two-goal lead slip.
Bayern, who face Holstein Kiel on Saturday, will go to Leverkusen between their two Champions League play-off spherical legs after lacking out on a top-eight end in Europe.
The Bavarians haven’t gained at Leverkusen since 2021 and Alonso is but to undergo a defeat by Bayern since taking cost.
However Tah doesn’t count on Bayern’s packed schedule to provide his staff any edge within the battle for the Bundesliga.
“Bayern Munich are used to enjoying each three days,” he mentioned.
Leverkusen had been additionally boosted by the information Victor Boniface’s deliberate transfer to Saudi Arabia has fallen by means of, giving the defending champions additional attacking energy to maintain preventing on three fronts.
– ‘Every part in Bayern’s fingers’ –
Bayern haven’t but added any senior gamers to their squad within the switch market, which closes on Monday.
However coach Vincent Kompany will not be overly nervous about having to face a Champions League play-off in opposition to both his former membership Manchester Metropolis or Celtic.
“We now have to rebuild our momentum,” Kompany mentioned after his facet’s win — their seventh in eight video games in all competitions — over Slovan Bratislava was not sufficient to sneak into the highest eight.
“It was clear the massive video games would come… Any further, all the pieces is in our fingers once more.”
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund journey to Heidenheim on Saturday for interim boss Mike Tullberg’s final recreation in cost earlier than former Bayern, Eintracht Frankfurt and Monaco coach Niko Kovac takes over.
Regardless of sitting in eleventh place with only one win of their final eight league video games, Dortmund are nonetheless inside hanging distance of the highest 4.
They’re six factors behind fourth-placed Stuttgart.
One to observe: Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart)
Regardless of Paris Saint-Germain ending their Champions League hopes on Wednesday, Stuttgart nonetheless had one thing to have a good time, with Germany midfielder Angelo Stiller extending his contract with the membership by a yr till 2028.
The 23-year-old’s performances for Stuttgart, who’re again within the Champions League qualification locations after ending second final season, earned him a Germany call-up.
The proficient midfielder, who got here by means of Bayern Munich’s youth set-up, is on the coronary heart of all the pieces Stuttgart do in assault and defence.
“(He’s) an vital constructing block within the staff’s construction,” Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth mentioned of Stiller.
Key stats
31 factors – Mainz’s 31 factors from 19 video games is the second-best run within the membership’s historical past after 2010-11, when the Thomas Tuchel-coached facet had 33.
Eight – Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy has eight league objectives from 16 video games, one fewer than the 9 he has from eight Champions League matches this season.
0 – Second-division Magdeburg haven’t gained a house recreation this season however nonetheless sit third within the Bundesliga 2 desk.
Fixtures (1430 GMT except acknowledged)
Friday
Werder Bremen v Mainz (1930)
Saturday
St Pauli v Augsburg, Bayern Munich v Holstein Kiel, Bochum v Freiburg, Stuttgart v Borussia Moenchengladbach, Heidenheim v Borussia Dortmund, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig (1730)
Sunday
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen v Hoffenheim (1630)
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