Bundesliga Summit: Leverkusen’s Last Chance or Bayern’s Practical Title Decision
The pressure is on the reigning Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich, as they face Bayer Leverkusen in a pivotal clash that could potentially decide the league title. Anything less than a victory for Leverkusen on Saturday (February 25th, 6:30 pm CET) would effectively seal Bayern’s dominance, given their current eight-point lead over their rivals.
"Everyone can see what it would look like afterwards," said Bayern’s sporting director, Max Eberl, acknowledging the formidable advantage his team holds. "It’s simply a great game that we’re incredibly excited about."
In recent years, this fixture has surpassed the once-prestigious rivalry between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. Since former Bayern player Xabi Alonso took over as Leverkusen’s manager, the Bundesliga title has often been determined by the outcome of these two teams’ encounters.
Almost exactly a year ago, Leverkusen thoroughly outplayed Bayern in a 3-0 victory, opening up a five-point gap between the two sides. Now, Leverkusen would be content to maintain that deficit after Saturday’s game. "The way Bayern is playing right now, anything other than a win for us means we can pretty much forget about the title," said Bayer captain Lukas Hradecky. However, sporting director Simon Rolfes downplayed the significance of the standings, stating, "No, we’re not looking at the table."
Even a draw would make it highly unlikely for Bayern, who have been dominant under coach Vincent Kompany, to be dethroned. No team in Bundesliga history has ever squandered such a substantial lead at this stage of the season. Nevertheless, the record champions are determined to win and showcase their strength.
Alonso’s Leverkusen have consistently troubled the mighty Bayern. Since the Basque manager took over, his team has remained unbeaten in five competitive matches against their rivals. "We’ve had a lot of problems against Leverkusen in recent games. I think it’s going to be a cool game," said Bayern leader Joshua Kimmich, hinting at his motivation.
Kompany also acknowledged Leverkusen’s impressive form, noting, "They’ve only lost once in the last 18 months." A victory on Saturday would be his first major triumph as Bayern manager.
Saturday’s encounter will also witness a battle between Germany’s two most promising young stars: Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. "Germany can be very happy to have these two players. They’re still young, and their best years are yet to come," said Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann about the two 21-year-old world-class talents.
Coincidentally, Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß recently made comments about Wirtz, who is contracted to Leverkusen until 2027. Hoeneß expressed his "dream" of seeing Wirtz play for Bayern at some point in the future. Rolfes simply shrugged off the speculation, saying, "Bayern has done this before, even when I was a 10-year-old reading Kicker."
However, Eberl was more receptive to the idea, stating, "Outstanding footballers can always play together. There’s no question in my mind that both of them can play very well together."
