5 motivi per cui il Bayer Leverkusen batterà l’Inter: la magia di Florian Wirtz e il record europeo di Xabi Alonso
5 motivi per cui il Bayer Leverkusen batterà l’Inter: la magia di Florian Wirtz e il record europeo
di Xabi Alonso
Bayer Leverkusen will face a formidable Inter Milan side who are yet to taste defeat in the competition on
Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League. bundesliga.com looks at five reasons why Xabi Alonso’s
men can be the side to break the Nerazzurri’s run…
1) League form
Xabi Alonso’s men have only lost once this season in the league,
a 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig which came on Matchday 2. Since then they have remained unbeaten,
scoring 23 goals across 10 games, winning five and drawing five,
to put them in third place and just one point off second. They also sit in third for goals scored (30),
while they lead the way for shots against post and bar (9),
highlighting their attacking intensity as well as the fine margins between one point and three.
Die Werkself also lead the charts for duels won (1286) and sit second crosses from open play (150),
underlining their front-foot style of play that demands aggression on and off the ball,
and has resulted in just one Bundesliga loss in 46 games.
2) Wirtz’s wizardry
Last year’s Bundesliga Player of the Season has carried his scintillating form from last season into this season, dropping midfield masterclasses on both domestic and European fronts.
In the Bundesliga, he has five goals and four assists to his name,
while in Europe he has racked up five goals in as many gamess as well as an assist.
Last season in the Europa League, he managed a combined eight goals and assists as his side reached the
final against Atalanta, a tally he has already almost equalled in the step up to the Champions League.
Aside from his impressive goalscoring exploits in the competition,
Florian Wirtz has also managed to collect four Player of the Match awards in the opening five games of
the Champions League, which are also his first five games in the competition.
3) Schick’s scoring streak
Despite recently suffering a calf injury, Czech striker Patrik Schick had been in great form in the lead up
to this fixture. In the absence of Victor Boniface the 28-year-old has really stepped up,
scoring five goals in three games including a hat-trick against Heidenheim.
In the Champions League, Schick also scored on his previous outing against Salzburg as his side
cruised to a 5-0 home victory. He has also scored two in two in the DFB Cup,
taking his early season tally to nine goals in all competitions. Last season, he managed 13 goals in total,
a return – should he recover in time for the Inter encounter – he looks set to beat already.
Schick is also unbeaten against upcoming opponents Inter, drawing two and winning one of his encounters with them during his time at Roma in Serie A, whilst also scoring once across those games.
4) Home record
Of their six home games in the Bundesliga this season, Leverkusen have only lost once and won four of the remaining six. In that time, they have scored 17 of their 30 goals this season and picked up 11 points. In their record-breaking 2023/24 season, they won 14 of their 17 home games, dropping points on just three occasions and scoring 44 goals across those wins.
In their previous three home games against Salzburg, Heidenheim and St. Pauli they scored 12 goals and conceded just three, making it four wins from their last five at the BayArena. In their victory over Heidenheim, they once again showed their ability to win under difficult circumstances, coming from 2-0 down to win 5-2.
5) Alonso in Europe
In Europe, Leverkusen have lost just twice in their last 17 games across the Europa League and Champions League, scoring 40 goals in that time and conceding 16.
One of those losses was their Europa League final defeat to Atalanta which, while a disappointing result, saw Alonso reach the final of the competition in his first full season in management. This season in the Champions League, Leverkusen have won three, drawn one and lost one; this puts them sixth in the 36-team league phase, seven places ahead of Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich and just three points behind upcoming opponents Inter.
Despite last season’s achievements, Alonso is still fairly new to the coaching game, with this being his first season in the Champions League in the dugout. He’s gotten off to a great start with his side scoring 11 goals already in the competition. Having already beaten Roma and AC Milan with Leverkusen, Inter will be firmly in his sights as his next Italian victory.
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