Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen aim to spoil Bayern Munich's Oktoberfest party mood
FC Bayern Munich's player Harry Kane, front, and his wife Katie Goodall, left, arrive for a team's visit at the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Credit: AP/Stefan Puchner
DUESSELDORF, Germany — What better way for Bayern Munich to add to the Oktoberfest mood than to humble the reigning Bundesliga champion? And what better way for Bayer Leverkusen to spoil the party than by beating Bayern again?
With the world's most famous beer festival in full swing, Vincent Kompany's Bayern welcomes Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen for a game which could shape the entire German league campaign.
Bayern's players, including Harry Kane, dropped in at Oktoberfest in traditional lederhosen outfits on Sunday and had plenty to celebrate after scoring 20 goals in their last three games, including a 5-0 demolition of toothless Werder Bremen the day before.
This game pits together two young coaches who were great players in their own right. Alonso has showed he belongs among the top coaches in Europe by leading Leverkusen to a stunning unbeaten domestic league and cup double last season.
The Bayern job is the chance for Kompany, whose Burnley team was relegated from the English Premier League last season, to show he belongs at this level, too.
“We know how much potential Bayern Munich has, now too with the new coach, Kompany, who’s bringing in new ideas," Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka told broadcaster Sky in comments aired on Wednesday.
"We’ve obviously analyzed their game and everything seems to be working out well so far. Almost every shot has been a goal for Bayern. They’re very strong offensively and don’t concede many goals either.”
View of the Oktoberfest festival grounds from the tower of St. Paul's Church in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. The Oktoberfest runs through Oct. 6, 2024. Credit: AP/Stefan Puchner
Leverkusen is back in its groove of dramatic, last-minute goals after coming back from a goal down twice to beat Wolfsburg 4-3. These miraculous recoveries have delighted Leverkusen's fans — though a 3-2 loss to Leipzig certainly didn't, and the defensive lapses that make those recoveries necessary remain a concern.
The last time these teams met it was a party occasion of a different sort, carnival season in the Rhineland, as Leverkusen's costume-wearing fans watched their team brush aside Bayern 3-0 in February.
It was a turning point in last season's title race, and not just in terms of the points table. Bayern wasn't just outplayed. Its then-coach Thomas Tuchel was out-thought by Alonso's tactical tweaks. From then on, all the momentum was with Leverkusen.
Alonso's first priority on Saturday will likely be to keep Kane quiet. The England captain has racked up five goals and four assists in four Bundesliga games. Across all competitions for club and country in 2024-25, Kane has a barely believable 12 goals already.
Leverkusen's Victor Boniface, right, celebrates with teammate Jeremie Frimpong, left, after he scored the decisive 4th goal in overtime during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Leverkusen defeated Wolfsburg 4-3. Credit: AP/Martin Meissner
For Kompany, Bayern's occasionally shaky defense may be a concern. Bayern is scoring a lot of goals but it has yet to face a team which finished higher than eighth in the Bundesliga last season.
Kane raised concerns after Bayern conceded two soft goals against Dinamo Zagreb, even if it was a 9-2 win, that Bayern could “get punished for that” against top teams. The response against Bremen in the following game was much more encouraging. Bremen didn't have a shot all game.
Also this weekend, Borussia Dortmund is reeling from a 5-1 loss to Stuttgart as it hosts local rival Bochum on Friday. Stuttgart visits Wolfsburg on Saturday as Leipzig hosts Augsburg.
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