Bayer Leverkusen’s Road to Bundesliga Champions Title

Bayer Leverkusen’s road to Bundesliga was far from easy. Competing against Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the two giants in German football, the club still managed to win their first-ever title. With Xabi Alonso as a mastermind, the club made the impossible possible, so let’s see how it happened and what to expect from the club in the future. You can also bet on Bayer Leverkusen winning the 2024 Europa League semi-finals and fighting for another trophy. 

Here’s Bayer Leverkusen’s road to Bundesliga

Bayer Leverkusen’s opening game at home against RB Leipzig, the reigning DFB Cup and Super Cup champions, seemed like a significant challenge. This was followed by an away match against local rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach, making for a tough start. The home game against promoted Darmstadt was seen as crucial before the international break, leading up to a showdown with Bayern Munich during Oktoberfest.

The first four matches turned out to be crucial, setting the stage for the rest of the season. Leverkusen made a strong statement with wins against Leipzig (3-2), Gladbach (3-0), and Darmstadt (5-1), setting up a top-of-the-table clash with everlasting champions from Munich.

Rivalry with Bayern Munich

Facing Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena is always a challenge, but Alonso’s team showed their resilience when they fell behind for the first time this season, a departure from their usual strategy of protecting and expanding leads. This was the turning point when the team’s odds at online sportsbooks in Germany started skyrocketing.

The entire Bayer Leverkusen’s road to Bundesliga champions went through competition and dominance over Bayern. At first, both teams were undefeated and had 10 points each, matching their best-ever four-game tally in Bundesliga. This statistic would become a recurring theme throughout the season. Moreover, Exequiel Palacios’ penalty in the 94th minute marked one of four late goals they’ve scored this season in Bundesliga under Alonso, adding five points to their total. Without these late strikes, they would trail Bayern by two points.

Bayer Leverkusen’s resilience was evident again in early 2024, with the team not hitting peak form but still delivering results. Then, Palacios emerged as the hero again, bringing a 1-0 victory against Augsburg. Piero Hincapie’s goal sealed a 3-2 comeback win over Leipzig the following week. They repeated this feat in the DFB Cup quarter-final against VfB Stuttgart and a 2-1 home triumph against Mainz on Matchday 23.

Finally, with 5 games remaining, Leverkusen secured their first league championship in their 119-year history, dominating Werder Bremen 5-0 in front of their home crowd to ignite an unforgettable celebration. The season still has more in store. In addition to making it to the Europa League semi-finals, Leverkusen could wrap up the 2023-24 campaign with a treble by competing against second-tier FC Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final scheduled for May.

The club’s UEFA Europa League campaign so far

Not only had Alonso Leverkusen paved Bayer Leverkusen’s road to the Bundesliga title, but succeeded in other competitions. The club breezed through the UEFA Europa League group stage with a record of 6 wins in 6 matches, making them just the 12th club to achieve a 100% record in this competition. Additionally, they advanced to the semi-finals of the DFB Cup after securing four more victories. This remarkable achievement adds another layer of greatness to their season, boosting their 22BET odds to win in both competitions.

Alonso had expressed confidence that there wouldn’t be a hangover from winning the title. Still, Leverkusen didn’t perform at their usual high level during a tense first half at West Ham United. Apart from a curling shot by Nathan Tella that forced Lukasz Fabianski to make a diving save, the newly crowned Bundesliga champions found themselves under pressure, conceding a goal in the 13th minute through Michail Antonio’s brave header, reducing their aggregate lead.

Matej Kovar made crucial saves, denying Mohammed Kudus and then producing a brilliant point-blank stop to thwart Jarrod Bowen’s half-volley and keep the tie level. Kovář and his teammates survived a goalmouth scramble just before halftime and saved their lead in the two-leg match.

Alonso made further changes at halftime, bringing on Victor Boniface and Jeremie Frimpong for Patrik Schick and Tella, respectively. Frimpong injected energy into the game with a dynamic run and cross for Florian Wirtz, who couldn’t find the target with his first-time shot. Frimpong stayed active, forcing Fabianski to make a crucial save with a cross-shot. He later missed a one-on-one opportunity, but Leverkusen regained control, eventually equalizing with a deflected goal that extended their unbeaten streak to a European record of 44 competitive games. 

The team’s next Europa League challenge is Roma, who defeated Leverkusen in last season’s semi-finals, standing in their way of reaching the final. However, the odds at online gambling sites in Germany are in Leverkusen’s favor, so their success won’t probably end with winning the domestic league.

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