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Bayern Munich: Three key matchups against Bayer Leverkusen

By Kiran Thakare

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller during the DFB Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen.(Photo by ROBERT MICHAEL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller during the DFB Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen.(Photo by ROBERT MICHAEL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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David Alaba will have to keep Lucas Alario quiet on Saturday. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) /

Lucas Alario vs David Alaba

Bayer Leverkusen has been scoring goals for fun this season. They have scored second-most goals after Bayern this season. One of the key contributors to Leverkusen’s high scoring returns this season has been Lucas Alario.

After the departure of Kai Havertz in the summer, Alario has taken the mantle to be the main man in the final third. Alario has eight goals to his name in the league, double than the second top scorer for Leverkusen. The Argentine is going through an excellent finishing return right now. He has scored eight goals at an xG of 3.7. (Stats courtesy: fbref)

Die Roten has looked vulnerable defensively in the past few weeks. Alario will be a dangerous forward that can exploit acres of space left behind the high line defense of Die Roten. David Alaba will have a big role to play in containing the Argentine forward.

Alaba has been slightly inconsistent this season. However, he often turns up in big games. The Austrian defender will have to make sure on Saturday that Alario doesn’t get a lot of time and space in the final third. Moreover, he will have to track his runs when Leverkusen is executing a counterattack. It is going to be a fascinating battle. An individual duel that will have big implications on the outcome of the game.