The Fort Worth Press - Alonso and Leverkusen need 'big miracle' against Bayern

On that day, then Liverpool midfielder Alonso scored the equaliser against AC Milan as the Reds came from 3-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3, before winning the match on penalties.

After Bayern's 3-0 win in Munich in the first leg of their last 16 tie, the deficit is the same for Leverkusen and Alonso going into the return fixture.

Leverkusen, the defending German champions who had never lost to Bayern in six matches under Alonso, capitulated in Munich last week, with the Basque lamenting a "self-inflicted" defeat where his side "gave everything" to their opponents.

Leverkusen's woes may be compounded by an injury to midfield lynchpin Florian Wirtz, who limped off after a rough challenge on Saturday having played just 14 minutes.

- A 'big miracle' -

With this season's final in Munich, Bayern were under more pressure than Leverkusen heading into the first leg.

But after a goalkeeping howler, an unnecessary penalty and some poor marking for a Harry Kane header, Bayern have one foot in the quarter-finals.

Leverkusen have not made it as far as the last eight of the Champions League since their run to the final in 2002, where they lost to a Zinedine Zidane-inspired Real Madrid.

A two-time Champions League winner as a player, Alonso has outlined the scale of the task now awaiting his side, but knows from experience anything is possible.

"After this game we'll need a bit more time so we can recover -- in football we've seen big miracles quite often and we almost need one," he said on Wednesday.

"It's football, it's not my first time (against the odds), and there's another game at home."

Alonso may be relatively inexperienced -- this season is his first coaching in the Champions League and his second full campaign at the top level -- but he has already performed even greater miracles in the Leverkusen dugout.

Weighed down by the unwanted 'Neverkusen' moniker having never won the Bundesliga in their 120-year history, Alonso took over with the club in relegation danger in October 2022.

Alonso had an almost immediate impact, reviving the club's fortunes as they stacked up a series of victories including a 2-1 defeat of Bayern, Julian Nagelsmann's last match in charge of the German giants before getting sacked.

The following season, Alonso piloted Leverkusen to an unprecedented unbeaten league and cup double, along with a run to the Europa League final.

That Europa League final defeat was Leverkusen's only loss in 53 games last season.

Alonso's men scored 17 stoppage-time goals in all competitions, showcasing a self-belief which stayed resolute until the final whistle.

- 'A big response' -

Both Leverkusen and Bayern crashed back to earth in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Leverkusen lost 2-0 at home to a Werder Bremen side who had won just one of 10 games in 2025.

Bayern went down 3-2 at home to relegation-threatened Bochum, the visitors' first win in Munich since 1991.

A win for Alonso's side would have brought them five points behind league leaders Bayern, striking a mental blow before Tuesday's second leg.

A frustrated Alonso lamented his side's bad day against Bremen, something which has been rare in Leverkusen since the 43-year-old's arrival.

"After the big defeat in Munich, we wanted to be fresh today. It didn't work," he said after Saturday's loss.

"Nothing worked today. Not on the wing, not in the centre. I'm responsible for that."

Bayern striker Harry Kane promised a reaction in Leverkusen after his side's shock defeat.

"It's a chance to show a response," the England captain told reporters. "Whenever we've lost this season, we've gone into the game with fire in our belly.

"Leverkusen have lost two in a row and they'll try and have a big response at home and we need to be ready for that."

C.M.Harper--TFWP