Borussia Dortmund’s Next Big Test Against Bayer Leverkusen

The journey to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday is perhaps the largest obstacle for recently crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen to overcome in order to complete a flawless league season.

Even though Leverkusen defeated Werder Bremen 5-0 at home on Sunday to win the inaugural championship, Xabi Alonso’s team still has a number of records to break.

They have advanced to both the German Cup final and the Europa League semi-finals, and they are still vying for an incredible triple.

The only other German team to achieve the triple crown is Bayern Munich, which did it in 2013 and 2020 with Champions League victories as opposed to Europa League victories.

Leverkusen has won 25 of its 29 league games, with four draws, and is currently undefeated. This season, they have gone 44 games without a loss in all competitions.

Even Bayern Munich has never finished a league season winless, so Alonso’s team is five games away from achieving a remarkable feat.

Leverkusen, who now have 79 points, has the potential to surpass Bayern Munich’s record of 91 points in the Bundesliga, which was established in 2012–13.

The largest obstacle to surpassing these records, however, will be Leverkusen’s away match against Dortmund in the remaining league games.

Next week, Leverkusen will also play host to Stuttgart, who is now in third place. However, Dortmund is a very different team at home, especially after their victory against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday to advance to the Champions League semifinals.

Dortmund held Leverkusen to a 1-1 draw in December.

After ending a 120-year championship drought, most teams would anticipate a little pause, but Alonso’s Leverkusen is not most teams.

Alonso said on Wednesday that he had no concerns about his side returning to Earth, even though gatherings sometimes go far into the night.

The coach told reporters on Wednesday that we had “a few beers, but not too many,” adding that “the players have not given me any reason to doubt them.”

“We want to keep going without stopping and we are hungry for it.”

Dortmund is now ranked fifth, one place behind RB Leipzig, who holds the last guaranteed position for next season’s Champions League competition.

Edin Terzic’s team’s European achievements may also benefit them in the league as they prepare for a two-leg semifinal matchup with Paris Saint-Germain.

With Dortmund’s triumph and Bayern’s against Arsenal, Germany now has a better chance of earning five slots in Europe’s top tournament the following season.

Dortmund’s attention may now turn to Europe, but facing a title-winning team other than Bayern Munich will spur the Bundesliga’s consistent runners-up to a strong showing.

For Bayern, with Thomas Tuchel’s team tied with Stuttgart on points, the league’s major prize is pride.

On Saturday, Bayern will visit Union Berlin, who are now in danger of relegation and will be eager to gain ground at their Stadion a der Alte Foersterei.

Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart) is someone to watch.

Serhou Guirassy of Stuttgart, who has won the title twice this season, was named Bundesliga player of the month on Thursday.

Guirassy had an injury early in the season and missed a portion of it while playing for the Africa Cup of Nations, despite having started the campaign with an amazing 10 goals in five games.

Since making his comeback in February, he has scored in each of his last six games, putting Stuttgart in position to play in the Champions League once again.

This season, Guirassy has scored 25 goals in 23 games, behind only Harry Kane’s 32 goals in 29 games.

Guirassy remarked, “Oh what, again?” as he was given the prize during training on Thursday. He then thanked all of the fans who had cast their votes for him.

Important statistics
79: With five games left, Bayer Leverkusen has 79 points. After 34 games, Bayern and Dortmund ended tied on 71, with the Bavarians winning the championship on goal differential.

0-A squad has never finished a Bundesliga season undefeated.

4: This season, only four teams have defeated Leverkusen: Gladbach, Stuttgart, Dortmund, and Bayern.

Fixtures (unless specified, 13:30 GMT)

Friday

Augsburg v. Eintracht Frankfurt (1830)

On Saturday

Union Berlin vs. Bayern Munich (1630), Heidenheim v. RB Leipzig, Wolfsburg v. Bochum, Cologne v. Darmstadt, and Hoffenheim v. Borussia Moenchengladbach

Sunday

Stuttgart vs Werder Bremen, Freiburg versus Mainz (1730), and Borussia Dortmund versus Bayer Leverkusen (1530)