Since taking over as Bayer Leverkusen boss, Xabi Alonso has been without a loss against the Bavarian giants in six meetings, bundesliga.com looks back at each of the counters ahead of their meeting in the Champions League...

Winning start

Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Bayern Munich 

Ahead of his matchday 23 meeting against Bayern Munich during the 2022/23 season, Xabi Alonso had tasted defeat in two big games already, against Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. So the test against Bayern was one where he simply had to get it right. Leverkusen started the game on the front foot and kept it that way for the first half, edging the possession numbers whilst also limiting Bayern's attacking unit to just one shot in the opening 45. That lone shot for Bayern was a Joshua Kimmich penalty, however, Julian Nagelsmann's side failed to generate much threat in open-play.

The game would open up more in the second half as Nagelsmann made a trio of attacking changes at the break. Though it was Leverkusen who took back control through an early Exequiel Palacios penalty after 55 minutes. Bayern's attacking frustrations grew as the game went on and they paid the ultimate price when VAR ruled in Leverkusen's favour for a second Palacios penalty, which was once again expertly dispatched by the Argentine in the same exact spot. The wall of Lukáš Hrádecký stood tall through an onslaught of Bayern shots late on as Alonso masterminded Die Werkself's first victory over Bayern in almost four years.

Watch: : Leverkusen 2-1 Bayern Munich - highlights

The first glimpse of 'Laterkusen'

Bayern Munich 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen

Alonso's next encounter with Bayern would come early in the 2023/24 season, matchday four throwing together an early showcase of the two sides who would go on to lead the title race. The Spaniard's squad was strenghtened hugely in the summer, with new signings Victor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann, Granit Xhaka, and Alejandro Grimaldo all starting the game. Both teams had collected maximum points from the first three games, setting the stage for a thriller at the Allianz. It wouldn't take long for the action to get going in this tie, with Three Lions superstar Harry Kane heading in the opener after seven minutes, his fourth in four games for Bayern. Leverkusen would respond with a blockbuster of their own, Grimaldo curling in a picture-perfect free-kick after 24 minutes to equalise matters.

At the end of an entertaining first half, there would be 18 shots between the two sides, with Bayern's tally of 12 being double of Leverkusen's. Perhaps unexpectedly the game-changing substitution from Alonso was replacing Robert Andrich with Palacios. Though there would be lesser goal-mouth action in the second period, there would be drama at the end with Bayern re-taking the lead after 86 minutes through Leon Goretzka. And just when it seemed like Thomas Tuchel would maintain his perfect start in the league, Palacios would haunt Bayern once again from the spot, to deliver a dramatic late equaliser, the first of 17 stoppage-time goals Leverkusen would go on to score during the season.

Watch: Bayern Munich 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen - highlights

About the players

20

Alejandro

Grimaldo Garcia

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

25

Exequiel Alejandro

Palacios

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

9

Harry Edward

Kane

FC Bayern München

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Running it back at the Bay Arena

Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Bayern Munich

Alonso's third meeting against Bayern would come at the Bay Arena. The stage was set for a potential title decider, with just two points separating the two teams at the top of the table. Leverkusen's unbeaten run had seen 16 wins and just four draws with a remarkable 14 goals conceded to this point. Off the back of a dramatic midweek DFB Cup win over VfB Stuttgart, Alonso made key changes in attack, drafting in Amine Adli and Nathan Tella with Josip Stanišić starting against his parent club at wing-back. This line-up would provide a blueprint for Leverkusen's strategy against Bayern for the games to come, with Alonso prioritising Leverkusen's work without the ball. It would pay off in the best way possible as their tactical discipline would prove key to dismantling Bayern's offensive prowess and exerting their own on the counter-attack.

Florian Wirtz would spearhead the attack and cause all sorts of problems for the Bayern backline with his movement as Stanišić would venture forward uncharacteristically from the back to sweep home a cutback from Andrich. The second half would see more goals from defenders as Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong would chip in with goals of their own, the latter punishing Manuel Neuer for charging up the field for a late corner. Leverkusen would finish the game with an average 38 per cent possession, their lowest during the season by that point. They would limit Bayern to an Expected Goals (xG) tally of just 0.3, underlining their defensive excellence throughout the win.

Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Bayern Munich - highlights

A different kind of steel

Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen

With the appointment of Vincent Kompany in the Bayern dugout, the record Champions seemed to have found their old dominant selves again. In fact, by matchday five when the Belgian would meet Alonso for the first time in his managerial career, his exciting Bayern side had already scored 29 goals across six competitive games in all competitions. With Bayern showing glimpses of old, Alonso's Leverkusen, though pinned back for most of the tie, were able to come away with a share of the spoils, owing to their defensive solidity. Die Werkself would go on to produce just 0.14 xG in this game, with Bayern's superior 1.16 xG painting a picture of total domination for Kompany and co. The game would be a tactically enthralling affair nonetheless, with goals from Aleksandar Pavlović and Andrich providing the showstoppers in the first battle between Kompany and Alonso.

Watch: Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen - highlights

On track in the cup

Bayern Munich 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Meeting number five between Alonso the manager and Bayern the club, would be their first in the DFB Cup round of 16, with the Bavarians sat with a comfortable seven point gap over Leverkusen at the top. Both teams started the cup tie without a natural number nine, Alonso choosing to bench Patrik Schick and Kane remaining sidelined with a hamstring injury. Wirtz and summer signing Michael Olise led the attacks for both. An early red card for Neuer would change Kompany's plans, who had to take off Leroy Sané to make way for Daniel Peretz in goal. The first half saw a few shots exchanged but Bayern had to remain patient on the break for their chances. Schick would eventually enter the fray just after half-time but would soon after be replaced by Nathan Tella due to an injury. The Nigeria international would make the ultimate difference within 10 minutes, powering a header past Peretz to give Die Werkself the lead. With further attacking changes from Kompany, Alonso would throw Frimpong up top to maintain a threat on the break, though Tella's strike would be enough to seal progress in the cup for Alonso and co.

Watch: All of Bayer Leverkusen's DFB Cup goals so far in 2024/25

Turning the tables

Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Bayern Munich

Alonso's sixth and latest meeting against Bayern would be one where he flipped the tables from the reverse fixture. Where his side accumulated just 0.14 xG at the Allianz Arena, it would the Bavarians who would produce just 0.14 xG at the Bay Arena in the latest meeting. Leverkusen's Spanish tactician would once again trust Wirtz and Tella in the front-line, fielding a more defensive-minded line-up against Kompany's free-flowing attackers. From the very outset, Leverkusen were on the front foot and stayed that way for most of the game. They made it difficult for Bayern to play their usual offensive sequences through Kane and Jamal Musiala, with Alonso using a man-marking approach through unconventional means.

Bayern's offensive struggles meant more opportunities for Leverkusen to hurt Kompany's defence and they did plenty of that during the tie. Frimpong hit post with a header in the first half and Tella would follow suit soon after. For all their chances, Die Werkself just couldn't find the killer touch, with Wirtz firing wide late on in the game, which would have almost certainly been the game winner for Alonso's team. Another tactical masterclass between the Spaniard and Kompany would make it six games unbeaten for him and cement his name in the history books. Alonso's streak of six undefeated against Bayern is longer than any other manager has achieved in the history of German football.

Now in the Champions League, Alonso has the opportunity to go one step further.

Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Bayern Munich - highlights

About the clubs

FC Bayern München

Allianz Arena

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

BayArena