Bundesliga
“Full throttle now”: Leverkusen in Europa League fever
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso gives instructions. photo
© Swen Pförtner/dpa
The draw in Wolfsburg is quickly a thing of the past at Bayer Leverkusen. The view is only in the direction of the Europa League quarter-finals. An ex-professional even believes in a chance for the title.
The 0-0 draw in Wolfsburg was quickly no longer an issue for Bayer Leverkusen. Coach Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga team quickly looked towards Thursday. “Full throttle now. We have a great chance of reaching the semi-finals,” said the Spaniard before the quarter-final duel in the Europa League with Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday. “We all have a great motivation.”
The 1-1 draw in the first leg in Leverkusen also showed the class of the underdog from Belgium. “By now we all know what good guys they are,” said Bayer goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. “They are very difficult to crack.”
But: Leverkusen relies on good form. Coach Alonso rotated a few positions in Wolfsburg. So he left national players Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah out for the time being. “We have to see how we distribute the forces,” said sporting director Simon Rolfes. Because the former international made it clear: “We want to get ahead in Belgium. That’s the only thing that counts.”
The VfL coach is also keeping his fingers crossed
For keeper Hradecky, too, the game against Belgium, who are second in the table, is “a special game”. Although the Finn was in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with Bayer 04 in the Corona year 2020, he lost to Inter Milan (1: 2) in the competition, which was held in tournament form in North Rhine-Westphalia. “But that was something completely different without a spectator,” recalled the 33-year-old. “Now there is a real euphoria here.”
In Leverkusen, the Bayer fans received their team with a big reception at the bus entrance. After Brussels, several thousand followers follow the club. “We’re all hot for Thursday,” said Rolfes.
Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac will also keep his fingers crossed. “In terms of quality, the team actually belongs in the top four in the Bundesliga,” said the former professional, who played for Bayer between 1996 and 1999. “I am convinced that they will have a good chance.” Not only to the semifinals, but also a possible triumph. “Eintracht Frankfurt did it last year. Why shouldn’t Bayer do it?” asked the VfL coach.