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Bayer Leverkusen can end 11 years of Bayern Munich dominance in the Bundesliga on Sunday and mathematically secure their first-ever league title with a win over Werder Bremen
Xabi Alonso’s team have already shattered several domestic records on their way to carving out a 16-point advantage at the top of the standings with six matches remaining, having not lost in a remarkable 42 games in all competitions.
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However, Alonso is not letting his team get ahead of themselves.
“It’s special that we have the chance to become champions. But to do that we want to be focused and perform with our quality and mentality,” he told a Friday news conference.
“We want to continue to perform consistently, we want to play well. But first we have to prepare well and with respect for the opposition.
“The most important thing is that we can celebrate something after the game. It’s a special moment for the club.
“A lot of people are interested, following our journey, our games and the league. It’s a good situation.”
A win would secure the title irrespective of what Bayern do in their game against Cologne on Saturday and would also end the Bavarians giants’ stranglehold on the league. If Bayern and Stuttgart both lose on Saturday, then Leverkusen would be crowned champions without a ball being kicked on Sunday.
“I don’t know if I can even describe the feeling,” Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich told broadcaster RTL.
“I will probably collapse. But when I lift the trophy aloft, by then it will have sunk in a bit more.”
Avoiding defeat could still be enough to lift the trophy and would also make Leverkusen the first Bundesliga team in league history to have gone on a 29-game unbeaten league run.
Dubbed ‘Neverkusen’ for their failure to win anything over the past three decades, the team have come close to league success on several occasions and also reached the Champions League final in 2002. However, they last won silverware in 1993 with a German Cup triumph.
Even if Leverkusen secure the title on Sunday they will not get their hands on the trophy until the final matchday.
Leverkusen remain in contention for a treble — they beat West Ham United 2-0 on Thursday in their Europa League quarterfinal first leg and final face second-tier Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on May 25.
Alonso confirmed in March that he will remain as head coach of the team for next season despite mounting speculation linking him to Bayern, who are parting ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the term, and Liverpool, whose manager Jurgen Klopp is leaving after nearly nine years at the helm.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.