Xabi Alonso wants Bayer Leverkusen to end their historic Bundesliga-winning year on a high with victory over Freiburg on Saturday.
After a tough run of five draws in six Bundesliga games, Leverkusen have since won four league games in a row and seven in a row in all competitions.
If they can beat Freiburg on Saturday, it will be Alonso’s 50th win in 75 Bundesliga matches, with Pep Guardiola the only coach in league history to reach the mark quicker (61 games).
Leverkusen have a chance to keep the pressure on league-leaders Bayern Munich, who can go seven points clear at the top of the standings when they face in-form RB Leipzig on Friday.
Alonso’s side won their first Bundesliga title in April 2024 before ending the 2023–24 unbeaten campaign when they beat Kaiserslautern to win the DFB Pokal in May.
“We are very happy that we can be part of the history of our club,” Alonso told reporters on Friday.
“At the moment only the game against Freiburg is important for us. We want to end the year with good performance and good results.
Go to Leverkusen! One more time! pic.twitter.com/xjouWR6feR
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) December 20, 2024
Leverkusen have now won four Bundesliga games in a row, as many wins across the first 10 matchdays of the season.
They can now win their last Bundesliga game before the winter break for the third consecutive season for the first time – they recently lost their last league game of a calendar year against Freiburg in 2021 (2-1 away).
Alonso attributes Leverkusen’s turnaround to defensive improvements.
He said, ‘Despite a lot of injuries, we have performed brilliantly and shown great promise in the last few matches.
“It was very important for us to be significantly more solid in defence. But we want to continue at our best against Freiburg and do more.”
