The Bundesliga, the German top division looks set to welcome a new champion this season, with Xabi Alonso’s side, Bayer Leverkusen, leading the standings at the moment.
Leverkusen is the only team undefeated in the German’s premier division and remains in the hunt for three trophies – the Bundesliga, the German Super Cup and the UEFA Europa League.
Hosting Werder Bremen on Sunday, the side remains on the cusp of sealing the league title if it can win this game. But the head coach has cautioned his side against complacency.
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“We don’t take for granted any game,” Alonso said Friday. He declined to go into detail about how the team might celebrate or what the achievement would mean, indicating it was out of respect to opposing teams. “We have a super situation on Sunday but we are preparing for it with full respect, so I don’t want to talk too much,” he said.
Before the fixture, Sportstar looks at major talking points on its season so far:
The new invincible
Leverkusen has remained undefeated in all its 28 games this Bundesliga season (W24 D4) - a joint-Bundesliga record, held by FC Bayern, which went undefeated in its first 28 games in 2013-14.
It is also undefeated across its 42 competitive matches in 2023-24, including 37 wins - surpassing the club record from the 2001-02 season, when it won 35 of its 60 games.
Leverkusen, under Alonso, is yet to lose a game in his first full season at the Bundesliga side. | Photo Credit: AP
Setting higher standards for the club
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has 76 points to its name, beating its club record of 73 from the 1999-2000 campaign. It has already collected more points than last season’s champion FC Bayern (71 points in 2022-23).
ALSO READ: Which teams have won the league title as Bayer Leverkusen eyes maiden crown?
It 24 wins its 22nd of 26 games this Bundesliga season, which is also a new club record.
Rise of the super-subs
Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s substitutes have had their hand in 12 goals (8 goals, 4 assists) in this UEFA Europa League season - the most of any team in the current European competition finals. In its previous two games in Europe (Europa League), four of its five matches were scored by substitutes, including a stoppage-time winner by Patrick Schick.
Rubbing shoulders with greats
Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso is averaging 2.24 points per Bundesliga game as a coach, a figure only bettered by Hansi Flick (2.45) and Pep Guardiola (2.52) in the competition’s history
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