Leverkusen Coach Urges Team to Trust Themselves Ahead of Bayern Clash
Bayer Leverkusen will be without their top scorer in the Champions League, Florian Wirtz, for their crucial upcoming match. However, that hasn’t shaken their confidence. Coach Xabi Alonso remains hopeful of something extraordinary in the second-leg clash against Bayern Munich.
Leverkusen had a rough outing in the first leg of the Round of 16, suffering a 3-0 defeat at Bayern’s home ground. Now, they must pull off something remarkable in front of their home fans to secure a spot in the quarter-finals.
Alonso is well aware of the challenge ahead. After the first leg, he admitted that they would need a “miracle” to turn things around.
On Tuesday, Leverkusen will host Bayern, but they’ve already taken a major blow ahead of the game. Wirtz suffered a ligament injury during their 2-0 Bundesliga loss to Werder Bremen on Saturday. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been in top form, scoring six goals in nine Champions League matches this season.
Still, Alonso wants his team to see Wirtz’s absence as motivation.
“I really feel bad for him because he was in great form. But now, we have an opportunity to prove that we are a complete team and can win even without him.”
“Once the match begins, anything unexpected can happen. This game means everything to us—either we progress or we are out.”
Before their first-leg defeat, Leverkusen had gone unbeaten in their last six encounters against Bayern. In fact, last December, they knocked Germany’s most successful club out of the German Cup quarter-finals.
That’s why Alonso is urging his players to believe in themselves as they take on the six-time European champions.
“The first thing we must do is trust ourselves. Our fans also need to believe from the very first second that we can win this match. This is a different kind of game—we must play with heart, passion, and intelligence. We have an opportunity to make a comeback. We will fight until the end. Moments like these are when incredible things happen. Wirtz’s injury will be another source of motivation for us. We will fight for this big occasion and for Wirtz too.”
“For many reasons, I believe we can do it. But given where we stand, we have nothing to lose. Bayern’s supporters are 100% convinced that they will advance.”
