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Bayer 04 Leverkusen takes the belief that was achieved by ending in the top eight of the UEFA Champions League that stood in the latter stages of their Bundesliga title defense.
Xabi Alonso’s men, sitting six points behind the leaders Bayern Munich in second place, hosts TSG 1899 Hoffenheim this weekend fresh from securing direct passage to the Champions League last 16 by beating Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
“That’s why we play in the Champions League – to compete at the highest level,” said Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah. “We have shown that we can compete with everyone at this level.”
Photo: EPA-FEE
Leverkusen has only lost a domestic match since the start of last season in a remarkable race.
After a sluggish start to the Bundesliga campaign, Leverkusen has driven back to strife despite last weekend’s draw with RB Leipzig when they let a two-goal lead slide.
Bayern, who is facing Holstein Kiel today, visits Leverkusen between their two Champions League playoffs after missing out on a top-eight finish in Europe.
The Bavars have not won in Leverkusen since 2021, and Alonso has not yet been because of a defeat of Bavaria since he took responsibility, but TAH does not expect Bayern’s packed schedule to give his team some edge in the battle for Bundesliga.
“Bayern Munich is used to playing every three days,” he said.
Leverkusen was also strengthened by News Victor Boniface’s planned relocation to Saudi Arabia has fallen through, giving the defending masters extra attacking power to continue to fight on three fronts.
Bayern has not yet added any senior players to their team in the transfer market that closes Monday, but coach Vincent Kompany is not too worried about having to meet a Champions League playing game.
“We have to rebuild our momentum,” Kompany said after his side’s victory – their seventh in eight games in all competitions – over the Slovan Bratislava wasn’t enough to sneak into the top eight. “It was clear that the big games would come … from now on is everything in our hands again.”
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund travels to Heidenheim today for preliminary head coach Mike Tullberg’s last game, which is responsible before the former Bayern, Eintracht Frankfurt and as Monaco’s principal coach Niko Kovac takes over.
Despite sitting in 11th place with only one win in their last eight league matches, Dortmund is still within a marked distance from the top four. They are six points behind the fourth placed VFB Stuttgart.
Despite the fact that Paris Saint-Germain, who ended their Champions League hope on Wednesday, Stuttgart still had something to celebrate, with Germany midfielder Angelo, who expanded his contract with the club for a year until 2028.
“(He is) an important building block in the team’s structure,” said Stuttgart Sports Director Fabian Wohlgemuth about Stiller.
