Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso can look back to his squad’s 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich on September 28th to see an effective way to keep the potent Bavarian attack at bay.
However, this is a knockout match in the DFB-Pokal and not a Bundesliga game, so playing for a draw will not be an option. Alonso understands that his team will have to be in peak form to take down Bayern Munich.
“The Pokal is always a very special competition. Playing in Munich is probably the biggest challenge you can have in the DFB-Pokal and is a top game for everyone. We know how tough it is in Munich against a very good Bayern team this season. It’s one game, anything can happen – we’ll fight for our chances,” said Alonso (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We’ll see (if the game is similar to the previous matchup). Maybe there will be moments where we have to defend a bit deep, that’s normal. But not for the entire game, we also want to play well with the ball. Bayern are aggressive and put a lot of pressure, so we have to be ready for that, but not only that – we want to have a complete performance.”
One central figure for Bayern Munich, who Alonso will not have to account for this time around is Harry Kane, who will miss the contest with a hamstring issue.
“Of course Harry Kane is an important player but they have many options with Thomas Müller, (Serge) Gnabry, (Michael) Olise, (Mathys) Tel. They have a lot of options going forward. They have two players for every position, (Leroy) Sané and Olise on the right, Gnabry and (Kingsley) Coman on the left. They have Tel, Müller, (Jamal) Musiala. We’ll see tomorrow. I don’t know how they will line up [without Kane] but it’s something we can’t control,” Alonso said.
All of that might be true, but it will be an adjustment for Bayern Munich to play without its leading scorer…can the Bavarians power through that loss?
Looking for an extended breakdown of Bayern Munich’s DFB-Pokal showdown with Bayer Leverkusen? Then check out our latest Bavarian Podcast Works Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
