How do Victor Boniface and Deniz Undav compare ahead of Bayer Leverkusen vs. VfB Stuttgart?
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen and last term’s runners-up VfB Stuttgart square off on Friday. Amongst the many captivating match-ups across the pitch will be Victor Boniface’s battle with Deniz Undav for attacking bragging rights…
In hindsight, the summer of 2023 proved to be a pivotal one for Bundesliga attackers. While both Niclas Füllkrug and Christopher Nkunku are talented forwards, their 16 goals apiece across the 2022/23 term represent the lowest tally recorded by a Torjägerkönig in the history of the German top flight and, with the Frenchman making a switch to English Premier League side Chelsea following the campaign’s end, there was an apparent lack of prolific strikers in the post-Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland era.
As such, the Bundesliga’s best went about boosting their forward lines with lethal marksmen. Bayern Munich turned to the irresistible Harry Kane, winner of the 2023/24 Golden Shoe, while RB Leipzig replaced Nkunku with Loïs Openda, scorer of 24 goals in his debut Bundesliga campaign.
Eintracht Frankfurt acquired the services of Omar Marmoush, meanwhile - this season’s joint-top goalscorer - and Serhou Guirassy made a loan move to VfB Stuttgart permanent and subsequently found the back of the net on 28 occasions in the league.
Watch: Every Harry Kane goal in the Bundesliga
Amongst the glut of attacking transfers were Boniface and Undav, two players who deserve their current status among the country’s best forwards. And their performances have pushed their respective teams to new heights.
Patrik Schick’s struggles with injury meant Xabi Alonso’s team needed a new focal point and he turned to Boniface as a result. The Nigeria international had scored 17 goals for Union Saint-Gilloise the season prior, including a combined three against Union Berlin and Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League, but he was still something of an unknown quantity.
It is fair to say he hit the ground running, netting six times across the first five Bundesliga games as Die Werkself set their stall out early for a maiden title. It soon became clear that they were going to be a tough nut to crack, and so it proved as they stormed to top spot. Boniface ended up with 14 league goals – a tally that would surely have been higher had he not missed nine games due to injury – and 21 in all competitions, earning himself the Rookie of the Year award and numerous plaudits for his dominant, explosive showings.
Watch: 2023/24 Rookie of the Season winner - Victor Boniface
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Some 385 kilometres south-east in Swabia, Undav completed an initial loan move to Stuttgart in August. Sebastian Hoeneß’s side required a relegation play-off victory over Hamburg to maintain their spot in the top flight in 2022/23 and, although an improved run of form from the start of the year suggested they were significantly better than a fight to beat the drop, optimism remained cautious.
There needn’t have been any doubts. The future Germany international, who had been Boniface’s predecessor at Union in Belgium, needed to bide his time in his search for a first-team spot given a combination of injuries and Guirassy’s presence. However, several impressive substitute performances meant Hoeneß had no choice but to include him in the starting line-up.
He proved to be the perfect foil for Guirassy, netting a cool 18 times while also providing nine assists. His ability to both lead the line himself and also bring the best out of those around him proved crucial as Stuttgart qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 14 years.
Despite their huge, immediate impacts, following it separates one-term wonders from the crème de la crème, and both players have shown they have no issues dealing with increased expectations.
Watch: Stuttgart's Mr Unpredictable, Deniz Undav
On the whole, Leverkusen have had a mixed start to the 2024/25 season – matching their unbeaten domestic double was always going to be a big ask. Boniface, though, has kept up his side of the bargain, scoring six times across the opening eight games – only Marmoush and Kane have more.
Those in the know at Leverkusen will not be surprised. Boniface spent much of the off-season getting in shape, which did not go unnoticed by head coach Alonso. The Spaniard even praised his star man shortly before the curtain-raising Supercup win over Stuttgart, saying, “I am pleased that he has used the time. After the injury, we didn't have enough time for him to train. We needed him for the games. Now we see a Boni who is lighter and more athletic in the box."
Stuttgart, too, have not yet reached the levels they are capable of as they juggle the Bundesliga with European duties. Had Undav not stepped up even more after Guirassy’s departure for Borussia Dortmund, things may be worse. The 28-year-old has struck five times already following his permanent switch to Die Schwaben – he also has a Champions League goal at the Santiago Bernabéu against current European champions Real Madrid to his name – and has led from the front in what is a young squad.
He is now one of the elder statesmen in the dressing room, and his role as an example for those with less experience is one he is taken up well. Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth recently said: "Deniz is an entertainer, but also a leader. These things are needed more than ever in modern football - that's what makes him so valuable for Germany and for us. Deniz is an asset both on and off the pitch."
These are two players who never shy away from their responsibilities - Boniface has fired off more shots than any other player in the division this season (36), a statistic in which Undav currently sits third (30). They both continue to rise to the occasion, which should mean it is only a matter of time before their teams match their own individual consistency.
Both players were on the scoresheet in the Supercup, which finished in a captivating 2-2 draw before Leverkusen prevailed on penalties. That was the latest in a succession of tight head-to-head encounters – the shares were spoiled in each league game last season, while only a late Jonathan Tah goal was the difference in Leverkusen’s 3-2 DFB Cup quarter-final triumph.
Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 VfB Stuttgart - Supercup highlights
Those evenly matched affairs highlight that this latest meeting could be decided by a moment of quality, which both Boniface and Undav are capable of producing. You wouldn’t bet against either of them stealing the limelight at the BayArena when the time comes.
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