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Last season, there was only one team on football fans’ minds… Bayer Leverkusen. The German outfit shed their ‘Neverkusen’ nickname by winning the Bundesliga for the first time in their history. And they did so in fashion that Germany’s biggest club Bayern Munich could only dream of – without losing a single game.
In fact, Die Werkself very nearly completed a perfect treble. After claiming the Meisterschale in undefeated fashion, they also won the DFB Pokal – Germany’s sole cup competition – without losing. They then made it all the way to the Europa League final, once again without losing a single game, only to be resoundingly brought back down to earth with a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Atalanta courtesy of Ademola Lookman’s blistering hat trick.
Leverkusen completed perhaps the most important piece of business in the club’s history last summer as they clung on to manager Xabi Alonso, despite Liverpool, Bayern, and Real Madrid all sniffing around in the hopes of securing his signature. The Spanish boss remained at the club in a bid to take them to back-to-back titles, as well as make an impression on the UEFA Champions League. But things haven’t gone according to plan.
Bayern Pulls Out Eight-Point Lead
Alonso’s side is currently eight points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich with just 11 games remaining. Both sides have lost just once all season, but it’s the fact that Leverkusen have drawn a whopping eight games compared to the Bavarians’ four that looks set to cost them the title.
Last season, Die Schwarzroten managed to find a way to win no matter the circumstances. They scored an incredible 17 goals in injury time, with nine of those coming in the league. This season, those late-late shows have dried up, with Leverkusen netting just four times at the death.
That has allowed Bayern to pull away in the battle for the Meisterschale, and the sports betting providers think their lead may be somewhat unassailable. The latest odds from Bovada’s sports betting site currently make the current league leaders a whopping -10000 favourite to capitalise on their lead and return to the summit of German football. Leverkusen, meanwhile, is all the way out at +2000. But there are reasons for hope.
Bayern’s Easy Bundesliga Run-In
Leverkusen recently played Bayern at the BayArena, knowing that victory would reduce their deficit at the top of the table to just five points. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the job done, drawing 0-0, and missing a slew of golden opportunities. Die Werkself, however, will take plenty of positives from how they dominated the table toppers, finishing with 15 shots compared to Bayern’s two, and 56% of the possession.
Throughout the latter weeks of the campaign, the Bavarian league leaders also have plenty of winnable fixtures. They have already played Leverkusen both home and away, while they have also travelled to difficult places such as Borussia Dortmund and high-flying Freiburg. They still have to face Dortmund again, but they will be expected to win comfortably at the Allianz Arena, considering the fact that Die Schwartzgelben are currently way down in tenth place in the standings.
The only difficult away game that Vincent Kompany’s men currently have on their upcoming agenda is a May 3rd trip to face RB Leipzig. However, the title could already be wrapped up by then, and even if it isn’t, Die Roten Bullen have looked like a shadow of their former selves this term.
While the Bundesliga title may be just out of Leverkusen’s reach, they will have one more opportunity to stick it to Germany’s biggest club.
Champions League Draw Throws Up a Thriller
In the UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich will face off over two legs in a bid to reach the quarterfinals. The clash was already a tantalising one considering that both clubs hail from the same country and they have embarked in a bitter rivalry for silverware over the last 18 months. However, it is made even more mouthwatering because this year’s Champions League final will be hosted in none other than Bayern’s Allianz Arena home.
That provides the perfect opportunity for Leverkusen to sink one last dagger into Bayern’s heart before they hand over the Meisterschale at the end of the domestic season. Ending Munich’s hopes of contesting the final on home turf would give their supporters the ultimate bragging rights, and it would be a bitter blow that they would have no way of answering.
Considering how Leverkusen has performed in their two games against Bayern so far this season, they will certainly be optimistic. While both games ended in draws, the reigning champions dominated both games, and now that star striker Victor Boniface is fully fit and firing, they will now have the firepower to convert opportunities into goals.
Not only that, but Bayern’s form on the continent has been dismal this term. They have already lost Champions League games to Aston Villa, Barcelona, and Feyenoord. They were almost taken to extra time by lowly Scottish Champions Celtic until Alphonso Davies spared Bayern’s blushes with an injury-time winner.
Plus, Leverkusen and Bayern have already met once in a knockout competition this season. That ended with the former defeating the latter and eliminating them from the DFB Pokal. Now, they will be hoping to land one more knockout blow by beating them over two legs and ending their dream of lifting the Champions League in front of their adoring Bavarian public.
