It’s hard to put into words the magnitude of what Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen are on the verge of.
Statues will be erected, films will be made, tales will be told, it could be a season etched in the history books as one of the greatest in the history of sports.
Alonso’s men have set a record of going 50 consecutive games unbeaten, 33 in the Bundesliga, five in the DFB Pokal, and 12 in the Europa League, and now three games stand between Leverkusen and an unbeaten treble.
Their final Bundesliga game takes place this Saturday, where they host midtable Augsburg, who with nothing to play for, could be the ultimate ‘party poopers’ in Leverkusen.
Die Fuggerstadter have finished the season poorly, with five defeats in six games killing what was once a possible European push just weeks ago.
A stat which might unnerve a few Leverkusen fans is that Jess Thorup’s men won their last trip to the BayArena 2-1 last season.
However, the last meeting between the two teams saw Alonso’s men do what they do best, score late, with Exequiel Palacios netting the only goal of a tight game in the 94th minute in January.
The West German club have scored 17 goals in the 90th minute or later this season, with many of them keeping their unbeaten hopes alive, which has helped them earn the nickname Bayer ‘Neverlusen’ as of late.
Some fans will be careful not to let their guard down after their capitulation at the end of the 2001/02 season, the last time they were on course for an unexpected treble.
A team that included the likes of Michael Ballack and Dimitar Berbatov lost top spot in the Bundesliga, lost the DFB Pokal final 4-2 to Schalke and were on the losing side of a Champions League final to Real Madrid in a game remembered for *that* Zinedine Zidane volley to end the season empty handed.
Although they’ve tailed off towards the end of the season, Saturday’s opponent Augsburg have taken points from Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig this campaign.
Team News
Florian Wirtz has been one of Leverkusen’s stars this season, scoring and assisting 11 goals in the Bundesliga this season, but has been suffering from a minor injury in recent weeks.
The 21-year-old has trained away from the rest of the first team squad, having only played the final few minutes in their Europa League semi-final second leg against Roma, while he missed their 5-0 win over Bochum entirely.
With the brutal Thursday-Saturday schedule of the Europa League, Alonso made multiple changes for their trip to Bochum, with 21-year-old wing-back Arthur providing two assists on just his second Bundesliga start.
On the other flank Josip Stanisic also provided an assist and got himself on the scoresheet as first-choice wing-back duo Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo watched on from the sidelines.
With a Europa League final against Atalanta on Wednesday, and the Pokal final three days later, the Spanish manager has admitted winning the Bundesliga has given him the chance to focus on other competitions, so fans can expect a similar lineup to that which hammered Bochum last time out.
Augsburg (39) have secured their highest Bundesliga points tally since they picked up 41 in 2017/18 and go into the fixture knowing an unlikely win could see them climb from 10th to eighth, which would be their highest Bundesliga finish since 2014/15.
Die Fuggerstadter will be without right-back Kevin Mbabu who faces a one game suspension, alongside goalkeeper Finn Dahmen, Robert Gumny, Elvis Rexhbecaj and Frederik Jensen.
Already down to the ‘bare bones’, quartet Ruben Vargas, Kristijan Jakic, Pep Biel, and Iago have all not fully trained in the buildup to the game.
Maximilian Bauer will likely take the place of Mbabu at right-back, while the injured Vargas was replaced by 25-year-old Arne Maier in their last match-up, a 1-0 defeat at home to third-place Stuttgart.
Likely Lineups
Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Stanisic, Xhaka, Andrich, Arthur; Tella, Adli; Boniface.
Koubek; Bauer, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago; Breithaupt, Jakic, Dorsch; Maier; Tietz, Demirovic.
Key Players
After missing out on the Premier League title with Arsenal last season, Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka will get his hands on the Bundesliga title on Saturday, having started 32 out of 33 matches, only missing a singular game through suspension.
The 31-year-old seems to be one of the only ‘rotation proof’ players in Alonso’s system and ranks in the top 1% of players in Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues for pass completion, passes attempted and progressive passes, while also in the top 9% for shot-creating actions.
In short, Xhaka attempts to play the killer ball, and almost always gets it right.
A midfielder with a monstrous left foot, the Arsenal fans favourite has an eye for a goal, netting three in the Bundesliga, with outside the box strikes to take the lead against Frankfurt, Werder Bremen, and Mainz.
If Augsburg are to provide the unlikeliest of upsets this Saturday against the league’s best defence, captain Ermedin Demirovic will likely be the man to deal the dagger blow.
Only four men have scored more Bundesliga goals than the Bosnian’s 15 and while also providing nine assists, the 26-year-old is in the form of his life.
The Hamburg born forward is enjoying the best scoring season of his career, having bettered the 14 goals he scored in the Swiss Super League while on loan at St Gallen.
The 6’ 1” striker has performed well against the ‘big clubs’ this campaign, with two goals and an assist in two games against Bayern and a goal against Dortmund, while remaining a constant threat at international level for Bosnia.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The game will take place at the BayArena in Leverkusen.
What time is kick-off?
The match, along with all the other Bundesliga gameweek 34 fixtures, will kick off at 14:30 GMT on Saturday May 18th.
How can I watch?
This match will not be broadcast live in the UK, but highlights will be available on the Bundesliga website and the app.