After becoming a contender for the German Football League title, Bayer Leverkusen will be invited to maintain its lead when it hosts Cologne (penultimate), on Sunday, in the Rhine derby in the seventh stage competitions, while Bayern Munich seeks to restore the winning tone against Freiburg, the eighth.
Leverkusen has imposed itself as a serious candidate to remove the Bavarian giant from the “Bundesliga” title that it has won in the last 11 seasons, after seizing the lead alone in the last stage, benefiting from the latter’s exciting draw against Leipzig 2-2.
The team’s performances come one year after Spaniard Xabi Alonso took over the leadership, after the team was facing the risk of relegation after winning one match out of 8 last season and its early exit from the local cup.
But after 12 months, Leverkusen, which has never won the league title in its history, finds itself at the top of the standings after winning 5 matches out of 6, without wasting points except by drawing against Bayern itself 2-2.
It seems that Alonso has implanted his “winning personality” among his players, having previously won the German League title three times when he was a player for Bayern themselves (2015, 2016 and 2017), in addition to winning the Spanish League title once and the European Champions League title twice, not to mention the title. The World Cup once and the European Cup twice.
Therefore, hopes seem very high in the corridors of the team that has always produced many local and foreign stars, to follow the strong performances, in a scene that brings to mind the 2002 season, when the team reached the final of the Champions League and the German Cup, in addition to topping the local league two rounds before the end, Before finishing the season in runner-up position in the three competitions.
“A lot has happened this year, most of them good things,” Alonso said on Wednesday. “It has been a very, very good experience so far, but I don’t want to look back, I want to look forward.”
Leverkusen will be in an excellent position to win against the injured Cologne, who has not won any match after this season and has lost 5 to one draw.
Despite Leverkusen’s strong start, it still faces strong competition from several teams, led by Stuttgart II (15 points), Bayern III (14), Borussia Dortmund IV (14), and Leipzig V (13).
Bayern Munich, which won the title during the last 11 seasons, is looking forward to returning to the path of victories when it meets Freiburg on Sunday evening. Bayern Munich began the defense of the Bundesliga title with three consecutive victories, then its next three matches witnessed draws against Leverkusen and Leipzig, including a win against Bochum.
After achieving its second victory in a row to take the lead in Group A in the Champions League, Bayern is looking forward to returning again to the path of victories domestically.
Bayern Munich prepared in the best possible way for the Freiburg match by defeating Copenhagen in Denmark, 2-1, on Tuesday, after starting its campaign with a valuable victory over Manchester United, England, 4-3.
It is awaited to know whether international striker Thomas Muller will start for Bayern after he played several matches this season from the bench, but the player’s capabilities and influence on matches remain very remarkable.
Mueller (34 years old) is reviving his career under the leadership of coach Thomas Tuchel, recalling his golden days in the team despite the abundance of offensive options.
Tuchel said after the match against Copenhagen, which was Bayern’s 36th in a row in the Champions League group stage without defeat: “He is an integral part of our team, and someone we can completely rely on. “You can see the energy he has at the moment and the charisma.”
The presence of Xabi Alonso as coach raised Leverkusen’s ambitions to compete with the adults for the German title (AFP)
Bayern Munich’s task may not seem easy against Freiburg, which is ecstatic after its victory in its last match against Augsburg 2-0. But Freiburg enters the match affected by its loss to English West Ham 1-2 in the second round of the European League (Europa League) on Thursday.
Borussia Dortmund, last season’s runner-up, today faces a difficult match against Union Berlin, seeking to continue its winning streak.
Dortmund currently ranks fourth with 14 points, behind only third-placed Bayern Munich on goal difference, two points behind leaders Leverkusen, and one point behind second-placed Stuttgart.
Today (Saturday), Stuttgart will also play, which is anticipating its fifth win in a row against seventh-placed Wolfsburg, while Leipzig, fifth, hopes to shake off the dust of the defeat it suffered on Wednesday at home to Manchester City 1-3 in the Champions League, in its match against Bochum. . Augsburg also plays with Dramstadt and Werder Bremen with Hoffenheim.
2023-10-06 22:58:08
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