Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel insists his side head to bogey-side Borussia Monchengladbach for Sunday’s Bundesliga clash as favourites.
Tuchel’s side sit joint top after winning their opening two league games – 4-0 at Werder Bremen and 3-1 at home last week against Augsburg.
But Bayern have failed to beat historic rivals Gladbach in their five previous meetings, which included a 5-0 thrashing in the DFB-Pokal in 2021.
Tuchel joked at a press conference: “As soon as a streak goes against us, we don’t believe in streaks.
“We need a good performance. We have to build on the things we did well against Werder Bremen and in the second half against Augsburg.
“(Winning) our duels, being active, working hard out of possession and creating chances – we have to stick to them.
“We go to Gladbach as favourites and with the demand to win there. That’s absolutely our goal.”
Bayern’s rivalry with Gladbach stems from the mid-60s when both clubs won promotion to the top flight and they shared nine successive Bundesliga titles in the 70s.
“We know what’s coming, Tuchel added. “It’s emotional, a special game, a lot of history – and that’s what you’re up against.
“We have to play to our principles and know that we aren’t alone, are doing this as a team and that our own game is the focus. I’m confident there.
“Obviously you always need some luck in games, but it’s in our own hands.”
Gladbach, who have won three and drawn two of their previous five encounters with Bayern, are bidding for their first league win of the season.
They drew 4-4 at Augsburg on the opening day before losing 3-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen last week.
Swiss head coach Gerardo Seoane, who replaced Daniel Farke in June, said: “We have to be brave, defend from the front, so the gaps are smaller.
“If we manage to squeeze the field, we have the chance to contest more physical challenges than we managed against Leverkusen. We have to improve in that area.”
Former Leverkusen and Young Boys boss Seoane said his side will have to pay particular attention to new Bayern fans’ favourite Harry Kane.
The England captain has scored three goals in his first two league appearances since completing his £86.4million move from Tottenham.
Seoane added: “He’s a centre-forward who’s extremely good at finishing. He doesn’t need many chances to score. That doesn’t make defending against him any easier.”
Leverkusen ready to become first team to play unbeaten Bundesliga season, says Alonso
Bayer Leverkusen are ready to become the first team in Bundesliga history to go an entire season unbeaten, coach Xabi Alonso said after Sunday's 5-0 demolition of Bochum.
Treble-chasing Leverkusen cruised past Bochum, who had Felix Passlack sent off in the 15th minute, to stretch their remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 50 consecutive matches.
On Thursday, Alonso's team surpassed Benfica's long-standing European unbeaten record set from 1963 to 1965 with a 2-2 draw against Roma that sent them through to the Europa League final.
Sunday's win over Bochum also meant they became only the third team in Bundesliga history to remain unbeaten in every away match of a season.
"After that red card it was a completely different game for us," Alonso told a press conference.
"I am very satisfied with the result. It was important for us. Now we have a super goal on Saturday to win the title without any defeat. That has never happened before."
Leverkusen, who face Atalanta in the Europa League showpiece match and take on Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final later in May, entertain Augsburg at home in Saturday's Bundesliga finale where they will also receive their first-ever league trophy.
"To receive the title in Leverkusen will be very special," said Alonso. "The players have been focused the entire season so for them it will be very special. I am proud of them."
Bayern Munich 2-0 Wolfsburg: Zvonarek scores on first start in Tuchel's final home game
Second-placed Bayern Munich beat Wolfsburg 2-0 with teenager Lovro Zvonarek scoring on his first start in their final Bundesliga home game of the season on Sunday as they eased towards the end of a trophy-less campaign.
Bayern have 72 points, two ahead of third-placed Stuttgart with one game remaining. Unbeaten champions Bayer Leverkusen, on 84, visit Bochum later on Sunday.
Four days after Bayern's Champions League semi-final exit to Real Madrid confirmed their first season without silverware in over a decade, the Bavarians put in a solid performance against the Wolves despite a string of changes to Thomas Tuchel's team.
They were missing striker Harry Kane, nursing a minor back problem, and were also without Serge Gnabry, who was injured in their defeat by Real, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala.
Zvonarek, the 19-year-old Croatian who had only made a handful of substitute appearances for the team, scored four minutes into his first start, drilling home for the lead.
Leon Goretzka doubled the advantage nine minutes later with the hosts quickly taking full control of the game.
Bryan Zaragoza also thought he had netted on his first league start for the Bavarians, but the 22-year-old Spaniard's effort was disallowed for offside.
The hosts took their foot off the gas with Tuchel's Bayern career coming to an end next week, a year earlier than his contract, after a disappointing domestic campaign that also included a German Cup exit to third-tier club Saarbruecken.
Data Debrief: Clean sheet for Neuer on landmark outing
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made his 500th Bundesliga appearance, 156 of those having come for Schalke and 344 for his current side.
The veteran stopper had two saves to make en route to becoming the fourth goalkeeper in Bundesliga history to reach that 500 mark, after Oliver Kahn (557), Eike Immel (534) and Uli Stein (512).
Bochum 0-5 Bayer Leverkusen: Champions crush 10-man hosts to hit 50 games unbeaten
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen crushed hosts Bochum 5-0 on Sunday to stretch their remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 50 consecutive matches.
Xabi Alonso's team, aiming for a treble of titles, surpassed Benfica's long-standing European unbeaten record with a 2-2 draw against Roma on Thursday that sent them through to the Europa League final.
On Saturday, they did not ease off against lowly Bochum, scoring twice late in the first half versus the last Bundesliga team to beat them in the previous season.
Patrik Schick put Leverkusen in the driving seat in the 41st minute and Victor Boniface doubled their lead with a penalty in first-half added time, with Bochum down to 10 men following a straight red card early on for Felix Passlack.
Amine Adli made it 3-0 in the 76th minute and Josip Stanisic added another 10 minutes later with a low drive before delivering an assist for Alejandro Grimaldo to score in stoppage time with a tap-in.
Leverkusen, who face Atalanta in the Europa League showpiece match and Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final, have 87 points with one Bundesliga game left this season.
Bayern Munich, 2-0 winners against Wolfsburg earlier on Sunday, are 15 points behind in second place.
Data Debrief: Leverkusen match Bayern's record
Leverkusen became the third team in Bundesliga history to remain undefeated in all of their away games in a season, joining Bayern as the only side to achieve the feat (in the 1986-87 and 2012-13 seasons).
Alonso's side have also scored 87 goals in the Bundesliga this season, extending on their already broken club record this term.
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