Alonso and Leverkusen face Bayern Munich in ultimate test of their title bid
It's now or "Neverkusen."
Xabi Alonso has coached Bayer Leverkusen to its best chance in years of finally winning the Bun‐ desliga. The ultimate test comes on Saturday when Leverkusen hosts 11‐time defending cham‐ pion Bayern Munich.
Leverkusen has not lost any of its 30 games in all competitions this season — the only unbeaten team in any of Europe's top five leagues — and leads Bayern by two points in the standings.
Alonso and his players refuse to even talk about the title race — it's still early, they're taking things game by game. Bayern's long reign in German soccer has seen plenty of would‐be chal‐ lengers fall short, not least Borussia Dortmund throwing away its chance on the last day of last season.
And Leverkusen is Germany's great "nearly" team. Five times a Bundesliga runner‐up and never a champion, and Champions League runner‐up to Real Madrid in 2002. Shaking off the "Neverkusen" nickname will take something special.
Alonso has transformed Lev‐ erkusen since taking over what was then a relegation‐threat‐ ened team in October 2022. His achievements have seen him linked with his old club Liver‐ pool as a potential successor to Jürgen Klopp when the German leaves at the end of the season after nine years in charge. Klopp remains the last non‐Bayern coach to win the Bundesliga, with Borussia Dortmund in 2012.
Alonso's team plays a calm, possession‐based style which can quickly turn lethal. Full‐ backs Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong bring skill and pace to both flanks, and with seven goals and 10 assists in 20 Bundesliga games, Grimaldo is arguably the most influential left back in European soccer this season.
The one big question mark is over the striker position. Victor Boniface has been out for the last month after he was injured while training for the Africa Cup of Nations. In Leverkusen's five games since in the league and cup, neither backup striker Pa‐ trik Schick nor new loan signing Borja Iglesias have scored.
As for Bayern, Harry Kane is chasing records in his first sea‐ son in Germany with 24 goals in 20 league games, but injuries are putting pressure on a thin squad. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was out of training this week while left back Alphonso Davies strained a knee ligament last week and forwards Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman are both out.
On the positive side, defender Kim Min‐jae is back from the Asian Cup after South Korea's semifinal loss to Jordan. Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel is hopeful that midfielder Joshua Kimmich and defender Dayot Upamecano can recover in time to play against Leverkusen.
Beat Bayern and Leverkusen fans could even start to dream that a league and cup double is possible.
Leverkusen won a thrilling game against Stuttgart 3‐2 in the German Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday to reach the last four of a competition the club last won 31 years ago. It was the third time in five games that Lev‐ erkusen won by scoring in the 90th minute or beyond. Each time, Alonso celebrated wildly on the touchline.
Could this be the season the "Neverkusen" nickname is gone for good? Don't count Alonso's team out until the final whistle.
Ibrahimović once again helping AC Milan mount improbable Serie A title challenge
Zlatan Ibrahimović could once again be helping AC Milan mount an improbable title challenge.
AC Milan hosts defending champion Napoli this weekend while eight points behind Serie A leader Inter Milan, which has a game in hand. It would take an unlikely collapse from Inter to allow the Rossoneri back into the title race, but a remarkable upturn of form has seen AC Milan loom larger in the rearview of the top two.
AC Milan's title hopes ap‐ peared to have all but disap‐ peared after a dismal October and November when it slipped from first to third after winning just two Serie A matches in two months and also eliminated from the Champions League. But then came Ibra.
The talismanic Swede, who of‐ ficially retired at the end of last season, returned to Milan in an advisory role on Dec. 11 and the Rossoneri have won six of their eight league matches since then, drawing the other two.
His former teammates are de‐ lighted to have him back.
Another forward was even more enthusiastic.
Ibrahimović helped to fire Milan to its first title in 11 years in 2022 and while injuries re‐ stricted the forward to just four appearances last season, he was nevertheless an ever present on the sidelines, with encourage‐ ment and advice.
Younger players used to en‐ thuse about how much they learned from him and his impact can be seen in the sudden explo‐ sion of Milan forward Luka Jović.
The Serbia international didn't score a goal for the Rossoneri until December. He has netted four times in his past five matches, including a late winner at Frosinone last weekend, two minutes after coming off the bench.
Ibrahimović has helped to in‐ stil some much‐needed self‐be‐ lief in Jović and the rest of the Milan players.
Second‐placed Juventus, only four points ahead, is in Milan's sights.
Juventus lost at Inter 1‐0 last weekend. Inter faces a tricky trip to Roma on Saturday, the day before Milan's match against Napoli.
Juventus hosts
Monday.