Leverkusen’s coach Xabi Alonso demands belief that the 0-3 deficit against FC Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the Champions League can also be turned without Florian Wirtz.
Bayer Leverkusen has already made it. The competition was still called UEFA Cup, and the winner was still determined in the first and second leg. At Espanyol Barcelona, the Bundesliga club lost 0: 3, at home he won 3-0. It went into the extension and penalty shootout. Leverkusen then cheered and won his first big title, but how long it was here shows the fact that the venue was still called Ulrich Haberland-Stadion.
These two games from May 1988 had to be rummaged out of the archive, just like this game in Istanbul, which was soon 20 years ago, but the competition was already called Champions League. There was a final in which FC Liverpool left 0: 3 against AC Milan for a break, but after 60 minutes it was 3: 3. In the margin, Xabi Alonso had turned a penalty to compensate, after the penalty shoot -out he cheered on the title.
“Istanbul” is a magical word for the fans of Liverpool FC, just like “Barcelona”. Of course, they had rummaged “Istanbul” from the archive when it was necessary to make a 0: 3 deficit from the first leg in the semi-finals of the Champions League. But the opponent was the FC Barcelona with Lionel Messi, and the bad starting position was even worse because important players were missing. Coach Jürgen Klopp had to do without Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah who were injured.
In this respect, this game may be the most similar to those who will be in Leverkusen on Tuesday, March 11th and will be heard in full length at the sports show.
Coach Xabi Alonso and his team go to the second leg of the round of 16 against FC Bayern Munich with a 0: 3 deficit, and with Florian Wirtz one will be missing that many think for the best footballer in Germany.
“It’s a good moment to show that we are a complete team”, Alonso said the day before the game, a few hours after the factory club had announced that Wirtz because of an inner ligament injury “Several weeks” will fail.
“It’s not over ’til it’s over”, Alonso said after the first leg, “it is not over until it is over”. The saying could decorate a t-shirt, just like Mohamed Salah one with “never give up“Wear,” never give up “. Liverpool won 4: 0 after 90 minutes.
A review
Spectacular comebacks in the European Cup
Salah and Firmino were back in the final, which was won 2-0 against Tottenham Hotspur.
Trainer Alonso appeals to the team and fans
More games this season of the Champions League. The Leverkuseners also want to make this possible for their young star. Alonso demands both from his players and fans: “You have to believe in us from the first second.”
Daniela Müllenborn, Sportschau, 07.03.2025 2:12 p.m.
The trainer believes that it can succeed, and he believes that something similar has already succeeded: “Maybe it is even more difficult to win the Bundesliga without defeat.”
Leverkusen managed this last season, and two games have been lost in the current, most recently on Saturday with a 0: 2 against Werder Bremen.
Instead of taking advantage of the surprising mistake of FC Bayern against VfL Bochum and getting back to the leader at five points, the defending champion also put the dress rehearsal in the sand that did not do justice to the name.
The starting eleven against Bayern should look significantly different from Bremen, when Alonso, for example on Jeremie Frimpong, Alejandro Grimaldo and Wirtz, who had only been substituted at the second half.
With or without classic strikers?
But will we look? Will Alonso rely on a center forward like Patrik Schick? Or like Victor Boniface? Or will he do without a classic striker again? At the 0: 3 in the first leg, the coach was accused. In the 0-0 in the Bundesliga, on the other hand, the plan opened, even if the result says something else.
Bayer Leverkusen dominated Bayern, had many good chances, only hit the crossbar twice.
“We can play with and without strikers”, Alonso said, who did not take a look at the cards at the press conference on Monday. That also applied to struck players. The coach revealed that there were some of them, but he did not give names.
Granit Xhaka and Edmond Tapsoba, which had to be replaced against Bremen, were at least on Monday in training, just like the last sick Robert Andrich.
Alonso: “It can be an epic game
A failure of Xhaka in the control center would make the deteriorated starting position even worse and fans would be even more difficult to believe in a magical Leverkusen night. In any case, Xabi Alonso believes: “It can be an epic game.”