Bayer Leverkusen may be going into the October international break in fourth place, nine points off Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich after 10 matches but write the defending champions off at your peril.

bundesliga.com has five reasons why Die Werkself can successfully defend their title...

1) They're not used to losing

Despite their remarkable 35-game Bundesliga unbeaten streak finally coming to an end at the hands of RB Leipzig on Matchday 2, Xabi Alonso's unbeaten domestic double last season set a new Bundesliga precedent. In fact, during the entirety of Alonso's tenure in charge at Leverkusen, his side has lost just eight times in 70 Bundesliga games, seven of which came in his first season in charge in which he took over a team threatened with relegation before leading them to sixth place. Going into the October international break on a streak of three consecutive draws may sound disappointing, but if Die Werkself can get another streak going, they can quickly catch up with their title challengers, and this patch will be seen as nothing more than a blip.

Watch: Xabi Alonso's first 100 games at Bayer Leverkusen

2) Champions' record against the record champions

Bayern Munich have enjoyed a good start to life under new boss Vincent Kompany and are sat at the top of the tree, nine points ahead of Leverkusen. However, Leverkusen have faced Bayern four times under Alonso in the Bundesliga and are undefeated, winning twice at home and securing two more draws in Bavaria. Most recently, Leverkusen held the German record champions to a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena on Matchday 5 of the current campaign. With the return fixture at the BayArena scheduled to take place in February, Alonso's men will be looking at that fixture as an opportunity to take vital points off their rivals. At any rate, it's a date every Bundesliga fan should have in their diary. 

Watch: Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen - highlights

About the players

22

Victor Okoh

Boniface

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Xabier

Alonso Olano

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

10

Florian Richard

Wirtz

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

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3) A kind run of fixtures to help rekindle their form

Whilst they may be 11 points adrift of where they were last season, Leverkusen have had a very tough opening 10 games, having already faced off against Bayern, VfB Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt, Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach. It holds true that there are no easy games in the Bundesliga, but their run of games until January is far kinder. Meetings with Heidenheim (h), Union Berlin (a), St. Pauli (h), Augsburg (a) and Freiburg (h) should all represent opportunities to secure three points if Leverkusen can start to click. The October international break may have come at a good time for them too, giving them a chance at regrouping.

Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt - highlights

4) One of the most talented squads in Europe

One of Leverkusen's most impressive achievements after last years' unbeaten domestic double was the fact they managed to keep hold of not only Alonso, but also their key stars from last term. Magician Florian Wirtz is continuing to pull all the strings at just 21 years of age and his partnership with goal machine Victor Boniface has been preserved too, with the latter currently the joint third top scorer in the league this season. Die Werkself are blessed with options all over the pitch; Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo in the wide positions and Patrik Schick as a superb back-up to Boniface. Granit Xhaka, Robert Andrich and Exequiel Palacios in the middle of the park provides experience and a real physical presence, which is backed up by the trio of Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapié. The summer acquisitions of Aleix García, Nordi Mukiele and Martin Terrier have only added more quality, depth and versatility to the squad.

Watch: The best link-ups between Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface

5) Experience this time on their side

Perhaps Leverkusen's greatest facet from their 2023/24 Bundesliga outing was their ability to deny the odds and continually surprise people. Very few people thought Alonso would lead them to end their 120-year wait for a top-flight domestic league title, and even fewer suspected they would do so without losing a single match. Now, the unbeaten streak may have gone out the window, and the notion that title defences are harder than winning them in the first place may be looming over Die Werkself, but they do find themselves in a position where the rest of the league are once again doubting them. If the spotlight can be placed on someone else a while, Leverkusen can quietly get themselves back into this title race. Especially since Alonso is the only manager at a current top-four team that knows exactly what it takes to guide his side to the coveted Bundesliga title. 

About the clubs

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

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