Highlights

Matchday 22

FINAL

BayArena

FC Bayern München

D. Siebert

BayArena

Watch: Alonso: "We just lacked accuracy"

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso spoke to bundesliga.com after the Matchday 22 draw with Bayern.

0:30

Watch: Kompany: "Let's be honest, we did what we had to do today"

Vincent Kompany gave bundesliga.com his analysis after his Bayern side drew 0-0 at Leverkusen.

Watch: Musiala on his contract extension at Bayern

bundesliga.cin caught up with Jamal Musiala after the game to get his thoughts on the reasons behind his recent contract extension at Bayern.

Full-time: Leverkusen 0-0 Bayern

Wirtz's missed chance to win it at the death sums up the hosts' night, with Leverkusen failing to take advantage of several chances and also missing a touch of luck when hitting the woodwork twice in the first half. Bayern didn't have a shot on target but will take plenty of comfort from the fact that they remain eight points clear of Leverkusen following this draw.

Full-time

90'

+ 4

Yellow card

Edmond Tapsoba

90'

+ 2

Almost Wirtz!

That was the chance for the Leverkusen No.10! Neuer does well to bat away Adli's close-range effort but the ball only falls to Wirtz, who gets a lucky break and suddenly has the goal at his mercy. He sends a shot low and wide of the upright.

90'

+ 2

Substitution

Patrik Schick

Alejandro Grimaldo

90'

+ 1

Schick on

A last throw of the dice from Xabi Alonso as Patrik Schick comes on.

90'

Time added on

We will have three minutes to play at the BayArena.

90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Leroy Sané33.55km/h

Kingsley Coman32.68km/h

Jeremie Agyekum Frimpong32.62km/h

88'

End in sight

Vincent Kompany will not be displeased at all with a point here, whatever Bayern fans may feel about the performance of their team this evening, which has been defensive, to put it mildly.

86'

Changes both sides

Sacha Boey and Amine Adli are on as Nathan Tella and Jamal Musiala head off.

86'

Substitution

Sacha Boey

Jamal Musiala

85'

Substitution

Amine Adli

Nathan Tella

83'

Neuer alert

Frimpong controls a lofted pass out to the right and pings an inviting cross into the middle, where Wirtz is prowling. Neuer is off his line and hacks clear.

81'

Bayern chance

Suddenly Bayern are able to break away and Sané has the ball on the right. He crosses into the centre, where Goretzka heads tamely wide.

77'

Goal attempts

11off target

2on target

1off target

0on target

76'

Wirtz miss

Wirtz sends an arcing shot wide of the far post from distance.

74'

Upamecano booked

Upamecano clips Tella, who goes sprawling. Yellow card all day.

74'

Yellow card

Dayot Upamecano

73'

Kane first

Harry Kane swipes an effort at goal but his shot is blocked. Fir the first time in this game, Bayern have had an effort at goal.

70'

Rare result in sight?

Leverkusen played out a scoreless draw against Wolfsburg last weekend, but the last time the Werkself had back-to-back scoreless draws in the Bundesliga was in 1997 under Christoph Daum.

68'

Quadruple swap!

Vincent Kompany opts to mix things up with four changes, Sané, Goretxka, Gnabry and Stanišić - a familiar face at the BayArena - all on. Can the new arrivals help the league leaders fashion a first effort on goal?

68'

Substitution

Leroy Sané

Kingsley Coman

68'

Substitution

Josip Stanišić

Hiroki Ito

68'

Substitution

Leon Goretzka

Aleksandar Pavlović

68'

Substitution

Serge Gnabry

Michael Olise

65'

Off the line!

From the resulting Grimaldo corner, Tah heads back across the face and Tella nods down towards the corner. Ito is there to clear off the line.

64'

Wirtz appeal

Hincapié sends another delightful ball into the Bayern area and it fizzes all the way across to Wirtz. Last season's Bundesliga Player of the Season controls and lines up a shot. Coman gets back to prod wide, with Wirtz falling under the challenge. It's going to be nothing more than a corner.

64'

Pressure Handling

This Match Fact examines how successfully players perform under pressure. The percentage of "solved situations" indicates how often a player has freed himself from opponent pressure by dribbling, passing, scoring a goal or drawing a foul.

80%

Granit Xhaka

10 times under pressure

62'

Fastest runner (km/h)

32.62

32.68

Jeremie Frimpong Kingsley Coman

59'

Neuer blooper

The big Bayern shot-stopper rises to fist a free kick clear but the ball slides off his glove and goes behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece, Tella has a go with an acrobatic effort. The ball zips wide.

More precision needed

Leverkusen hit the woodwork twice in the first half, and yet, despite the hosts being on top in this game and leading clearly in the chances stakes, the Werkself have only tested Manuel Neuer once through Florian Wirtz.

53'

Goal attempts

7off target

1on target

0off target

0on target

53'

Pavlović warned

Aleksandar Pavlović over-reaches and catches Tella, who crumples to the turf. That's a yellow card for the Bayern man.

53'

Yellow card

Aleksandar Pavlović

50'

Similar pattern

Leverkusen have started the second half in a similar style to how they ended the first: on top. Nathan Tella slides in to try and reach Frimpong's centre, but the forward is muscled out by Upamecano.

47'

Unwanted record

Incredibly, Bayern were without a shot on goal for the first time in an opening half since records began in 1992! Can Kompany's troops make more inroads in this second half?

46'

Off we go again ...

The second half is underway at the BayArena!

Kick-off!

Half-time

Half-time: Leverkusen 0-0 Bayern

It's been intense, while the hosts have bossed it in terms of chances. Xabi Alonso's men have twice hit the woodwork through Frimpong and Tella and while Vincent Kompany might be content with the scoreline at the moment - his team with an eight-point advantage in the standings - the visiting coach will surely want more from his side in the second half.

45'

Kane rises highest

Kimmich whips a set-piece into the area and Kane leaps highest, only to head off target. There was an offside in there in any case. Kane slammed his face off Hincapié's shoulder going for that and is down receiving treatment.

44'

No shots

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

It's more than surprising to see the visitors with no efforts on goal so far as we approach half-time.

xGoals

1.02

0.0

Goals

41'

Duels won

Florian Wirtz Dayot Upamecano

40'

Hiroki Itō booked

On his first Bundesliga start for Bayern, Itō sees yellow, and this is a no-brainer for the ref. Leverkusen race forward, with Frimpong cutting across the defence and looking to make inroads. Itō takes the option to stop Frimpong illegally. A booking ensues.

39'

Yellow card

Hiroki Ito

No threat

Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký has had very little to do here with the home side dominating in terms of chances.

33'

Wirtz goes for worldie

The 21-year-old star has the ball in his own half and glances up. Neuer is way off his line and Wirtz is going to try his luck. The Pulheim native spanks a looping shot goalwards and looks on as Neuer sprints back, before seeing the ball drop harmlessly wide. The home fans enjoyed that.

30'

Goal attempts

3off target

1on target

0off target

0on target

30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Kingsley Coman32.68km/h

Jeremie Agyekum Frimpong32.62km/h

Konrad Laimer32.21km/h

28'

Bayern on the ball

The men in white look to take control back from Leverkusen, but Vincent Kompany's men can't seem to find a way through Leverkusen's disciplined set-up. The hosts are comfortably keeping the league leaders at arms length.

25'

Crossbar again!

Make that 15 times Bayer 04 have found the woodwork this season! Incredible. A steady build up from midfield and the hosts push the ball out wide for Hincapié. He lifts an inviting ball into the centre and when Tella ghosts in between the centre-backs, this looks a goal all the way. Tella diverts against the crossbar.

Woodwork specialists

Leverkusen have now hit the woodwork 14 times this season, the same amount as Bayern. That's a league high.

22'

Off the crossbar!

Stunning from Wirtz, who mesmerises his way through having accepted a pass from Grimaldo. The Germany international stumbles but manages to get a shot away from a tight angle. Neuer saves and the ball loops back towards Frimpong, who heads against the upright.

20'

Hosts probing

Wirtz and Hincapié combine down the left, with the latter looking to cut a pass back into the danger zone. Upamecano hoiks clear.

20'

Ball Recovery Time

Ball Recovery Time gives the time in seconds in which it takes a team to win back the ball following a loss of possession. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about a team's style of play. Only time when the ball is in play is counted (i.e. no breaks in play such as for goal-kicks, throw-ins etc).

B04

FCB

20.6 s

16 s

20'

xGoals

0.07

0.0

Goals

17'

Kim alert

The quick-thinking Xhaka picks out Tella inside the Bayern box but the forward's shot is well blocked by Kim.

16'

Wizard Wirtz

Leverkusen's No.10 twists and turns his way through three in the midfield but just can't pick out the onrushing Tella.

Tasty

There is quite some tension out there on the pitch, with neither side pulling out of any tackle or afraid to flex their muscles.

13'

Possession (%)

4555

11'

Handbags

Hincapié goes in on Upamecano from behind with a scissor-type tackle and the Bayern man falls to the turf. The visitors did not like that challenge one bit and a mini melee ensues. Hincapié is booked.

11'

Yellow card

Piero Hincapié

10'

Bayern shout

Laimer frees Olise, who enters the Leverkusen area on the right. The French midfielder falls in the box with Upamecano in close proximity. The visiting fans let out a roar but the referee is not interested.

Visitors settling

Bayern are beginning to string some passes together as they look to take control of this Matchday 22 fixture, which has been a fascinating encounter in these opening minutes.

Xhaka muscle

Musiala wriggles through the middle and is dropped to the floor by Xhaka. How many times might we see that this evening?

Bayer 04 hungry

Leverkusen roar out of the traps and are on the front foot already through Frimpong. Manuel Neuer puts his foot on the ball and tries - with some success - to slow things down a touch.

Peeep!

Bayern, all in white with red trimmings, get us underway.

Kick-off!

Teams out

Here they come ... what a mouthwatering prospect this is. The referee's bring both captains into the centre circle for a few formalities. We're seconds from kick-off.

Anthem time

The scarves are being held aloft, the flags waving .... it must be time for the Leverkusen anthem.

Electric atmosphere

It's chilly down by the banks of the Rhine, but inside the BayArena the atmosphere is reaching boiling point! The stadium announcer is belting out the teams as we await the appearance of both sets of players. Not long now ...

Full-back watch

As mentioned earlier, Vincent Kompany's team features Hiroki Itō at the BayArena. The Japan international made his first appearance for the visitors following his summer switch from Stuttgart against Celtic in the Champions League play-off during the week. Ito's inclusion on the left today mean Bayern are showing changes in both full-back positions with Konrad Laimer featuring on the right. Lest we forget, Alphonso Davies is out injured.

More on that Leverkusen team

Xabi Alonso appears to be scheming with his selection here. Surprisingly, both Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface are among the substitutes while there are five changes compared to the side that started last weekend's scoreless draw with Wolfsburg. Edmond Tapsoba, Jeremie Frimpong, Exequiel Palacios, Álex Grimaldo and Florian Wirtz are all back in home the starting XI.

More on that Bayern team

Hiroki Itō makes his first starting XI appearance for Bayern while there's a return to central defence for Kim Min-jae, who takes over from Eric Dier. Elsewhere, Kingsley Coman is preferred to Leroy Sané while further back, Aleksandar Pavlović is selected, with Leon Goretzka dropping to the bench.

Leverkusen starting XI

Hrádecký (c) - Mukiele, Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié – Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo - Wirtz - Tella

Leverkusen subs

Kovář, Arthur, Andrich, Aleix García, Buendía, Hofmann, Schick, Adli, Boniface

Bayern starting XI

Neuer (c) - Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Ito - Kimmich, Pavlović - Olise, Musiala, Coman – Kane

Bayern subs

Urbig, Guerreiro, Dier, Stanišić, Boey, Goretzka, Müller, Gnabry, Sané

Wise-man Xabi

Leverkusen fans will no doubt have full faith in their double-winning coach Xabi Alonso to inspire the home side today. Since the former Bayern midfielder took up the reins at the BayArena, the Werkself have not lost a competitive game against the record champions (3 wins, 2 draws).

Records on the line

As we await this evening's team sheets (kick-off: 18:30 CET), it's worth remembering that Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 Bundesliga games, while division leaders Bayern have won their last seven in the top-flight!

Game of historic proportions!

Never before have we reached this stage of a season with two teams showing less than two losses. Leaders Bayern and chasers Leverkusen have both suffered just one reverse each in the Bundesliga in 2024/25 - the hosts losing to RB Leipzig and Bayern going down to Mainz earlier in the campaign. Will something give this evening when these two giants go head to head? We're edging closer to kick-off!

Impressive visitors

Bayern have thus far taken 54 of a possible 63 points in the Bundesliga this term. Only three times in history has a team boasted those kinds of numbers after 21 match days: Bayern themselves in 2013/14 (59 points) and 2015/16 (56) and Leverkusen last season (55 points).

5:03

Watch: How do Wirtz and Musiala compare?

All eyes will be on these two superstars later...

Title on the line?

There's still plenty of football to be played this season but this meeting does feel like it could prove decisive in the title race. That's because Bayern go into Matchday 22 with an eight-point lead over Leverkusen. A victory for the hosts would haul them into within five points of the visitors, while defeat would see that gap stretched to 11. That will feel like a lot with 12 games to go after this weekend.

3:11

Watch: Understanding the rivalry

Need a reminder of why today's game means so much to both teams? If so, you're in luck...

Harry Kane on the teams' third meeting this season

"I don't think we need to change anything. If you look at the last two performances [against them] this season, even with 10 men I feel like we dominated in the cup, but we went out, and obviously the draw here we dominated as well. It's just about us. We can only control what we can control. We feel like we can dominate any team, both with and without the ball. Of course it's going to be a tough game. Leverkusen have only lost once in a season and a half pretty much, so we know it'll be difficult but it's all about us and what we focus on."

Hrádecký on the game's significance

"The title race is still alive if we manage to get a win. And that's going to be the main goal. Then we have to pray and hope Bayern drop some other points. We remember what happened last year so we want to duplicate that."

Robert Andrich's pre-game thoughts

"At home we'll need our fans to create an incredible atmosphere, which I'm sure they will do. Out on the pitch we'll need a very mature performance, a top performance. We're all aware of that and we'll prepare for that during the week."

Neuer ahead of Saturday's primetime encounter

"We've been close to beating them. In one game [in the cup] we went down to 10 men and in the other game we were the better team in my opinion. If we manage to be the better team again and if we're in better form on the day, then I'm sure we can win in Leverkusen."

More pre-game chat from Max Eberl

"Leverkusen have done an outstanding job in the last 18 months and are one of the top teams in Europe," said Bayern's director of sport. "They've also had a good record against us recently. It's a great game in which we want to compete. We want to go there and win.’

Alonso on facing Bayern

"You have to be prepared for anything against Bayern. We have to accept the individual phases of the game and react to them. They're the best opponent in the Bundesliga and they have the better starting position. But we're playing at home and are very well prepared."

Good news for Bayern fans!

Midfield maestro Jamal Musiala has penned a contract extension on Friday, keeping him at the home of the record champions until at least 2030. “I’m really happy. Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I took my first steps in professional football here and firmly believe we can achieve something big with this club in the coming years. I feel at home both in Munich and at the club with our great fans. We’ve got a lot of things we want to achieve. I’m excited for everything that’s to come,” enthused Bayern's No. 42.

Vincent Kompany's thoughts on Leverkusen

"The game will be of interest to a lot of people. You can't forget that they've only lost once in the league in the last 18 months. It wouldn't surprise me if they regularly got over 80 points. That shows how well they're working. We're aware of that and have taken steps to be competitive. We want to be one of the teams to win away there."

0:45

Watch: Julian Nagelsmann on 'outstanding' Musiala and Wirtz

Needless to say the Germany head coach will be watching when two of his star performers face off on Matchday 22...

Adli back in the groove

Amine Adli could make his first appearance since suffering a leg fracture in October, when Leverkusen take on Bayern. The Morocco international has come through another good few days of training unscathed, having been an unused sub in the draw with Wolfsburg last weekend.

0:59

Watch: Florian Wirtz named Player of the Month

Leverkusen's main man takes the prize for January, having also won the December poll. He had a direct hand in a league-high four goals last month - will Bayern be able to keep him quiet at the BayArena?

Konrad wants to end the streak

Bayern's run of five matches without a win against Alonso's Leverkusen isn't lost on Konrad Laimer. "After the recent games against Leverkusen, we've got some making up to do," said the Bayern defensive specialist following his side's 2-1 win at Celtic in their Champions League last 16 play-off first leg on Wednesday. "We just want to impose our game against them."

0:21

Watch: Leverkusen shooting for the top

Florian Wirtz & Co. have been getting their eye in ahead of Saturday's clash...

4:51

Watch: Leverkusen vs. Bayern - clash of the best

Anticipation is building as the defending champions prepare to face the leaders in a battle of second against first and much more besides...

Probable line-ups

Who’s set to play this weekend? Who’s going to miss out? Keep up to date with all the latest team news right here!

Bayern on course

Much like Alonso in his first full season in the Leverkusen dugout, Vincent Kompany is working wonders down in Munich. Bayern's tally of 54 points from a possible 63 after 21 matches has only been topped on three previous occasions: Bayern (2013/14, 59 points and 2015/16, 56 points) and Leverkusen (2023/24, 55 points). More encouragingly still for the red ballet, no team has ever failed to win the title with such a large cushion in the table at this juncture in a Bundesliga campaign.

Better than Kane?

Leverkusen have their own goal-getter supreme in Patrik Schick. The Czech forward is the 21-goal Kane's nearest pursuer in the current Bundesliga scoring charts, with 14 strikes of his own - all across his last 11 appearances not a penalty among them. He even has the better strike rate: one goal every 60 minutes compared to Kane's one every 73.

Penalty King Kane

One piece of advice Alonso will have for his Leverkusen troupe is not to give away a penalty. In Kane, Bayern arguably boast the best spot-kick taker in the business. Just look at the numbers: 14 Bundesliga penalties, 14 scored - including nine this season. Twelve of the Englishman's strikes from 12 yards have contributed to wins; only one came in a defeat.

Cup marker

Alonso also masterminded Bayern's exit from this season's DFB Cup. The 2023/24 double winners made the most of Manuel Neuer's first career red card to sneak a 1-0 win, thanks to a 69th-minute goal from Nathan Tella. Die Werkself recently backed that up by coming from behind to beat Bundesliga 2's Cologne in extra-time and book their place in the semi-finals.

3:02

Watch: How Bayer beat Bayern

We highlighted it already, but the manner in which Leverkusen took down Bayern at the BayArena back in February sent shock waves around Germany. Recap how Alonso & Co. did it...

Grimaldo back

Leverkusen certainly missed Alejandro Grimaldo's influence in the left-wing-back role against Wolfsburg. The Spain international was serving a mandatory one-match man following his sending off in the win over Hoffenheim, but returns for the visit of Bayern. He scored home and away against the Bavarians last season...

2:03

Watch: Bayern 1-1 Leverkusen - previous meeting

Earlier this season, however, there was nothing to separate the two title rivals in Munich. Bayer led through Robert Andrich, only for Aleksandar Pavlović to equalise less than nine minutes later.

The Alonso factor

The good news for Leverkusen is that they haven't lost to Bayern with Alonso at the helm - a run comprising three wins and two draws. Last season's corresponding fixture was the standout result - a 3-0 victory that put them firmly on course for their first Bundesliga title.

2:03

Watch: Wolfsburg 0-0 Leverkusen - highlights

The pressure got to a heavily rotated Leverkusen in Wolfsburg as Xabi Alonso's charges were held to their seventh draw of the campaign. No other team has been involved in more stalemates so far this term.

2:03

Watch: Bayern 3-0 Bremen - highlights

Bayern kept up their end of the bargain with a comfortable win over Bremen last Friday. All goals fell in the second half, including a pair of Harry Kane penalties.

Title decider?

Defending champions Leverkusen trail leaders Bayern by eight points ahead of the game. Surely - surely - they're going to have to win to have any chance of reeling in the record champions? They'll have 12 matches to do so after this one...

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 22 fixture between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern München.