The two standout German teams from last season are on opposite trajectories as the pressure mounts in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Xabi Alonso believed that Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga victory over Borussia Dortmund on Friday showed the improved discipline of the reigning champions.

Bayer Leverkusen's 3-2 victory at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga restart on Friday showed the development and discipline of the German champions, coach Xabi Alonso said.

“When we gathered for training this morning, they [Wirtz and Exequiel Palacios] were stuck in a traffic jam on a bridge in Cologne for a long time,” said Alonso. “They were absent from our preparation and our meeting and came straight to Dortmund,” which gave Alonso an ‘uneasy feeling’, per kicker.

Out of the blue, Florian Wirtz was left out of Bayer Leverkusen's starting line-up for Friday's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund.After the game, Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso explained that he had

Florian Wirtz surprisingly started Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga match against Borussia Dortmund on Friday night from the bench. After his side's 3-2 win, head coach Xabi Alonso explained that Wirtz

As Bayer Leverkusen surges with a ten-game winning streak, Borussia Dortmund flounders under coach Nuri Sahin, with only one win in seven games. Leverkusen's resilience, despite key player injuries, contrasts with Dortmund's struggles due to loss of focus and missed opportunities.

Two Champions League contenders will go head-to-head in the Bundesliga this weekend. Eintracht Frankfurt vs Borussia Dortmund best bets Eintracht Frankfurt to win – 5/4 with SBK Both teams

The German Bundesliga returns after the winter break with Borussia Dortmund at home to defending champions Bayer Leverkusen on Friday. Nuri Sahin's men host Xabi Alonso's side at Signal Iduna Park with BVB having won just one of their last five games pre-Christmas.

Florian Wirtz surprisingly started Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga match against Borussia Dortmund on Friday night from the bench. After his side's 3-2 win, head coach Xabi Alonso explained that Wirtz and Argentine midfielder Exequiel Palacios had missed Leverkusen's final preparations for the game on Friday morning.

Borussia Dortmund looks a shadow of its former ... Ten wins in a row in all competitions have allowed Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen — the defending domestic league champion — to put pressure ...

Alex Grimaldo’s free-kick proved the difference as champions Bayer Leverkusen kept up the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich with a 1-0 win over Mainz on Tuesday. The Spaniard struck direct from a set-piece early in the second half at the BayArena as Xabi Alonso’s side moved within a point of Bayern at the top.