Xabi Alonso has now been head coach at the Werkself for six months to the day. Asked about that at the pre-match press conference on Good Friday, the Spaniard said "our focus is exclusively on the forthcoming games and weeks up to the end of the season. We don't have much time to look back." Even though the recent results for the Werkself have been very encouraging. Leverkusen have come out on top in seven of the last eight matches with the Alonso team only failing to pick up three points in the 1-1 draw at Freiburg.
For the home game against Eintracht Frankfurt, the Werkself are missing centre forward Patrik Schick (groin). It also remains to be seen whether Adam Hlozek, suffering with an infection since last weekend, and Nadiem Amiri (groin) will be available. Alonso on the duo: "We'll decide tomorrow on the day of the game."
Lessons from previous meeting
Following last weekend's 3-0 win at Schalke 04, the Werkself have had plenty of time on the training ground this week to get in the mood for and prepare for the game against Eintracht. "The team is ready," said Alonso ahead of the "top match against one of the top teams in the league."
The team under head coach Oliver Glasner demonstrated Eintracht qualities in the previous game against Bayer 04 on matchday ten in the middle of October last year: The Werkself were on the wrong end of a 5-1 scoreline in Frankfurt in what was the second match for Alonso as head coach. "The previous match was a good lesson for us of how we can't afford to play. The performance wasn't good," said the Spaniard ahead of the reunion with Eintracht but he did make the current position clear: "But now the team has a completely different energy. We are ready."
