Leverkusen coach Alonso believes his team can create an epic comeback

Bayer Leverkusen are about to host Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, and coach Xabi Alonso is convinced his team can create an epic comeback.

In the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, Bayern Munich defeated Leverkusen 3-0. Most fans believed that Bayern Munich would advance to the quarterfinals smoothly, but Alonso remained optimistic and encouraged the players to face the challenge bravely.

At the pre-race press conference, Alonso said: "Sometimes, great reversals are born under extremely difficult circumstances. Tomorrow's race may become an epic contest for us. We know it is not easy, but we must believe."

"Only Bayern Munich had something to lose. Their fans were 100% sure they would qualify and all we could do was win the game. In football, the unexpected always happens."

Alonso also revealed that Leverkusen's players also believe that they have a chance to turn things around because they successfully won the Bundesliga title last season with an unbeaten record. Alonso said: "We have done more difficult things."

"Last season, we went unbeaten in all our Bundesliga games and won the title, which for me was even more difficult than the current challenge. Now is the all-or-nothing moment, either we win or we go home."

Although Leverkusen did not achieve an unbeaten record in the Bundesliga this season, they still performed well, ranking second with 53 points, 8 points behind first-placed Bayern Munich.