"Winning the Bundesliga unbeaten is something really special. We are very happy that we could be part of the history of our club," said Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Friday. The Spaniard then emphasised: "Only the game against Freiburg counts for us at the moment. We want to end the year with a good performance and a good result."
On the clash with Freiburg, in touching distance of the Champions League spots after the change of coaches from club legend Christian Streich to Julian Schuster, Alonso said: "It will be a tough game, they're having a very good season with new ideas from the new coach. They are good on the ball, also dangerous from set-pieces and very consistent in their performances."
Boniface and Co. noT available
Asked about the absences due to injury of Victor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann and Amine Adli, the Spaniard said: "They won't be back in the squad tomorrow. With Boni and Jonas it looks like they will be back for the first game in the new year but it could last a little longer with Amine." Another question relating to possible winter transfers was answered by Alonso as follows: "Winter transfers in football are always an option every year. We'll wait and see what happens. But we are very happy with the current squad."
Alonso: "more solid in defence"
After a phase in autumn with five draws from six successive Bundesliga matches, the Werkself have now picked up four league wins on the bounce (seven across competitions). Alonso sees the reasons for the upturn as follows: "In spite of several injuries we have produced great performances and shown great commitment in the last few matches. It was very important for us to become significantly more solid in defence. But we want to carry on and do more, best of all against Freiburg."
christmas songs at the stadium after the game
Bayer 04 invites all Werkself fans to stay behind at the BayArena for a few minutes after the final whistle. Together with the players, the staff and a children's choir there will be one or two Christmas songs to enjoy together in an atmospheric end to the most successful year in the club's history. The lyrics will be displayed on the Bayer 04 app as well as on the video screens at the BayArena.
For this reason, the shuttle buses for transfers back to the car parks and local transport stops will set off a little later than planned so that all fans can enjoy the singing in peace.
