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Three key battles as Bayern Munich face Bayer Leverkusen

By Kiran Thakare

Ivan Perisic, Bayern Munich and  Julian Baumgartlinger and Lars Bender, Bayer Leverkusen. (Photo by Jörg Schüler/Getty Images)
Ivan Perisic, Bayern Munich and  Julian Baumgartlinger and Lars Bender, Bayer Leverkusen. (Photo by Jörg Schüler/Getty Images) /
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David Alaba, Bayern Munich and Kai Havertz, Bayer Leverkusen. (Photo by Peter Lous/Soccrates/Getty Images)
David Alaba, Bayern Munich and Kai Havertz, Bayer Leverkusen. (Photo by Peter Lous/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

David Alaba vs Kai Havertz

Die Roten has made significant improvement defensively since they last faced Leverkusen this season. However, the blockbuster clash between Kai Havertz and David Alaba is the one that will be the most intriguing due to their new roles in respective teams.

Havertz has been playing as a false nine due to the absence of Kevin Volland. The German international delivered convincing displays in May despite the positional change. Havertz has a great eye for goal and occupies great positions in the box with clever runs. He also has a great eye for a killer pass in the final third, making him a complete forward.

The 20-year-old German midfielder currently has 11 goals and five assists to his name in the Bundesliga. Since the resumption of the league, Havertz has scored five goals in four games. He is the main man for Leverkusen right now, so containing him should be Die Roten’s utmost priority. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)

Alaba will have the task of keeping Havertz quiet on Saturday. The Austrian full-back has been flawless in central defense this season. His positioning and recovery pace allows him to win challenges against all type of forwards. With every passing game, Alaba has improved under Flick, so it will be intriguing to see how Austrian copes against an in form Havertz.