Bayer Leverkusen Vs. Bayern Munich: Title Clash In The Bundesliga

This is a massive weekend in European soccer. At 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, Real Madrid will take on unlikely challengers Girona FC at the Santiago Bernabeu. At the same time, over 1000 miles north of Madrid, Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen will host thirty-two time Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. ESPN — the U.S. broadcaster of both LALIGA and the Bundesliga — has dubbed the weekend “Title Race Saturday,” although veteran Bundesliga commentator Derek Rae prefers to look at the Leverkusen vs Bayern match up as richtungsweisend, or a direction pointer that shows which way the wind is blowing in the German title race.

Unbeaten in all competitions and top of the table after 20 league games, Leverkusen provide the most significant threat to Bayern’s Bundesliga hegemony since Jürgen Klopp left Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund ran Bayern close in last year’s title race, only to collapse on the last day, but Rae notes that the overall quality last season was much lower. This Leverkusen side is playing at a different level, and Rae says it has “very few if any discernible weaknesses.”

Bayer Leverkusen has earned plenty of praise since Basque manager Xabi Alonso took the reins in October of 2022. The team Alonso took over was languishing in the relegation zone. It took all his coaching nous to help them qualify for the Europa League last season and now he has them playing arguably the best soccer in the division. Rae says, “there is genuine excitement about Leverkusen’s quality,” and that “there is a feeling they can actually do it,” — win the league. The championship feeling has led to greater matchday attendance and a younger, more intense crowd.

Much of the excitement around Leverkusen is down to excellent planning from their CEO Fernando Carro — who had the foresight to sign Xabi Alonso — their Sporting Director, Simon Rolfes and Alonso himself. The three men have created a team that is energetic and attacking, and one that looks championship ready. With Jeremie Frimpong on one side and Alejandro Grimaldo on the other, the team has speed and technical prowess. Granit Xhaka has become a reliable metronome who anchors the midfield in front of a solid back three of Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba and Piero Hincapie. All of which provides a platform from which star player Florian Wirtz can create magic.

Rae calls Alonso “a compelling and magnetic figure,” and notes that he has endeared himself to the German public who know him not only for his excellent coaching but for his time as a “delightful midfield strategist with a certain grace and ease on the ball.” He is one of the few people in soccer who gets praise from all quarters and is imposing his own Handschrift (handwriting) on his Leverkusen team, getting them to play “good football.” Alonso has further ingratiated himself with the German public by speaking German as often as possible in press conferences, exuding both soccer intelligence and cultural awareness.

For all his good work — which even Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel has praised — Alonso’s side is only two points ahead of the perennial favorites Bayern Munich. The red machine from Bavaria is hot on the heels of Leverkusen, and are in no hurry to let the Bundesliga title go to a club that has never won it. In fact, despite the criticism Bayern and its players have received from inside the club and in the media, they are the best ever second placed team at this juncture of a campaign. Harry Kane is well on his way to tying or beating Robert Lewandowski’s single-season goal scoring record and with Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala in top form, Die Roten (the Reds) will always see themselves as favorites to win any big match.

The significance of this game cannot be understated. If Leverkusen wins it will open up a 5-point gap with second place Bayern, knowing that they will not play each other again. But, this season aside, history shows that Leverkusen fails to show up in big moments. Fans of German soccer will remember that Leverkusen was on its way to winning a treble (Bundesliga, DfB Pokal and UEFA Champions League) in 2002, only to collapse at the last hurdle in all three competitions.

The club is often referred to as Neverkusen, or Vizekusen- vize meaning runner up. However, it seems these players and this coach are unencumbered by the club’s history of losing at the pivotal moment. This season Leverkusen has made miraculous comebacks to win or tie against Bayern, Leipzig and more recently VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup. Rae says former Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler expressed that he “doubts very much that these players are thinking about Vizekusen.” Moreover, Rae wonders if maybe this is the year for Meisterkusen — Champion Leverkusen.

A win in the game against Bayern would fan the flames of the already existent talk of a potential treble. Speaking via WhatsApp, Rae noted that Leverkusen made the Europa League semi-finals last season, so it is not impossible to see the German side going one step further. In fact, Rae insisted that “Leverkusen have got to believe they can win the Europa League.” He also called Leverkusen “odds on favorites to win the Pokal.” which makes sense as it’s the only top division team left in the competition. As always with Leverkusen, fans will be hoping that the team doesn’t find a way to jinx things, but Alonso and co. have fans dreaming their wildest dreams at the moment.

Fans can expect a pulsating game on Saturday with the top two sides going blow for blow with each other to top the table as they sprint to the finish line. Despite being the eleven-time in a row Bundesliga winners, Bayern is entering this game with some doubts. Stalwarts Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Alphonso Davies, Kim-Min Jae and Konrad Laimer are all injured, recovering from injury or otherwise unavailable. Davies will be a big miss at left back and his absence will likely require either Mazraoui or Guerreiro to play there slightly out of position.

Bayern could be boosted by the return of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who is just coming back from a knee injury. His presence as a captain and his quality as both a shot stopper and ball player will make a huge difference for the Bavarians. Joshua Kimmich could also make his return, although his position in the team has been under scrutiny this season, with rumors he might be sold at season’s end. Rae wonders if Tuchel will opt to play Kimmich, or if he will stick with young Alexander Pavlovich, who has impressed this season.

As is the way in big games, the final result will likely come down to a few decisive moments, although this is hardly likely to be a cagey affair. Rae expects “a really fluid game of football,” in which both teams will look to dominate possession and create chances. Bayern has the experience on its side, but Leverkusen is in better form and sees this as its chance of capturing its long awaited first-ever Bundesliga title. Fans should expect a fun spectacle and keep an eye on Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Bayern’s attacking trio of Kane, Sané and Musiala.

Bayern fans will be hoping this is the moment their team moves from chaser to leader, while Leverkusen and neutral fans will be cheering on Alonso’s men. With both teams still having to play Dortmund and high-flying Stuttgart before the end of the season, this may not be a complete title decider, but it will certainly show who the team to beat is. Richtungsweisend, indeed.