Alonso: Leverkusen Keen to Maintain Form

Xabi Alonso, the manager of Bayer Leverkusen, said on Friday that his team is eager to prove their return to form with a win over Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga on Saturday, aiming for a third consecutive victory in all competitions.

Leverkusen, last season’s undefeated Bundesliga champions and DFB-Pokal winners, won 5-2 against Heidenheim in the league before scoring five more goals in a 5-0 win over Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Despite this, Leverkusen has only achieved three consecutive wins in all competitions once this season, which was back in September.

Alonso told a press conference: “We want to get that good feeling back. After (the win over) Heidenheim, it was better, and certainly better after the Salzburg game. Tomorrow is a different match… but it’s a good moment to show that after two good games, we can play a third good one in a row. I want to keep a clean sheet again on Saturday.”

Leverkusen has won only one of its last four league matches and sits in fourth place with 20 points, 9 points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

Alonso added: “We expect something different against Union, and we will face a big challenge. We need to be ready for a match that requires physical strength.”