Leverkusen aim to halt Bayern's title march with a 'perfect day'
Both sides have only suffered one league defeat this season, but Leverkusen’s title defence has been hindered by their inability to turn draws into victories, recording seven stalemates compared to Bayern’s three.
Bayer Leverkusen will need a flawless performance to stop Bayern Munich's charge towards another Bundesliga title when the defending champions host the league leaders on Saturday.
Bayern arrive in Leverkusen with an eight-point lead at the top, having won seven consecutive league matches. Both sides have only suffered one league defeat this season, but Leverkusen's title defence has been hindered by their inability to turn draws into victories, recording seven stalemates compared to Bayern's three.
Determined to make up for last season's trophyless campaign, Vincent Kompany's Bayern are in formidable form. A win, or even a draw, could all but end Leverkusen's hopes of back-to-back Bundesliga triumphs.
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However, Xabi Alonso's side can take confidence from their recent record against Bayern. Since taking charge in october 2022, the Leverkusen boss has won three and drawn two of their five encounters. The most recent victory came in december, when Leverkusen knocked Bayern out of the German Cup in Munich after Manuel Neuer received the first red card of his career.
Midfielder Granit Xhaka remains optimistic about Leverkusen's chances.
"We can make it difficult for anyone, including Bayern Munich. We need a perfect day to beat this team, but I'm convinced we can do it," Xhaka told the Bundesliga website on thursday.
"We won't play for a draw. We want to win every game, whether that's against Bayern on saturday or any other team. Everything is still in our hands, so we'll keep believing and try to win our next matches."
While Bayern were forced to battle for a 2-1 win at Celtic in the Champions League play-offs on wednesday, Leverkusen had a full week to prepare, having already secured a top-eight finish in the competition.
Both sides boast in-form strikers. Harry Kane has shrugged off his december hamstring injury, netting nine goals in his past eight matches across all competitions. Patrik Schick, meanwhile, has been instrumental for Leverkusen, scoring 14 goals in his last 11 league outings.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund will hope to build on their midweek 3-0 Champions League win at Sporting Lisbon, which marked their first victory under new manager Niko Kovac, when they visit bottom-placed Bochum on saturday.
Third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, having drawn their last three matches, will look to reignite their top-four ambitions when they face Holstein Kiel.
