Alonso believes Leverkusen’s huge win was perfect prep for UCL fixture

Bayer Leverkusen warmed up for their Champions League clash with Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich by thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso hailed his side’s 4-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt as the ideal tune-up for next week’s mouth-watering Champions League last-16 showdown with title rivals Bayern Munich.

Leverkusen scored three goals in the space of seven first-half minutes on Saturday.

Efforts from Nordi Mukiele and Patrik Schick followed up Nathan Tella’s opener.

Hugo Ekitike pulled one back for third-place Eintracht, but Aleix Garcia put the game to bed midway through the second half.

Bayern beat Stuttgart on Friday, meaning nine points separate the title rivals at the summit of the Bundesliga ahead of the pair going head-to-head for a place in the Champions League quarterfinals.

In a post-match conference, the Spanish manager expressed how happy and proud he was with his players.

“From the start, we showed we were fully focused in every action, both with and without the ball.

“A complete performance with a great scoreline. It is the perfect preparation for Wednesday night in the Champions League.

“I am very pleased, especially with how we played – at a high tempo and with good control of the ball in the first 35 minutes – against a direct rival like Eintracht. It is always difficult to play against them.

“We are ready for the next challenge – in Munich, against the best team in Germany. We will see. We are in a good moment, and we will give it our all,” he said.

When asked if his side are favorites heading into Wednesday’s game, Alonso replied that they aren’t “foolish,” as they are aware of playing against Bayern. “We have to show them a lot of respect,” he added.

Under Alonso, Leverkusen are unbeaten in their six matches against Bayern across all competitions (W3 D3).

They have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four against Bayern, after not saving any in their previous 15 games against them beforehand (42 goals conceded in those 15 matches).

Wednesday’s clash will be the first-ever meeting between Bayern and Leverkusen in a major European competition.