Leverkusen will face Cologne in the German Cup. Xabi Alonso: Stay focused and control the game

Leverkusen will face Cologne from the Bundesliga at the BayArena in the quarter-finals of the 2024/25 German Cup, and coach Xabi Alonso said that this will be an intense game, so he must always stay focused and control the game.

In the focus match of the 20th round of the Bundesliga earlier, Leverkusen relied on Boniface, Frimpong and Patrik Schick to score and finally defeated Hoffenheim 3-1, and successfully faced Cologne with a victory. In addition, Cologne is currently ranked first in the Bundesliga standings and morale is also high.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said, "Cup matches are always special, especially against Cologne, we are looking forward to it very much. We expect it to be a high-intensity and fierce game, and the atmosphere will be very hot, but everything must remain within the scope of competition. We are ready to stay focused and control the game."

"Cologne is a brave team with a Bundesliga-level squad and many high-quality and experienced players. They also play at a high tempo and have been in excellent form recently."

In addition, midfielder Amin Adli, who was previously injured, has recently resumed training. Xabi Alonso said, "We really missed him in the past few months. His speed, explosiveness and aggressive breakthroughs on the field are what we need. We are very happy to see Amin Adli return to health."

It is worth mentioning that Wirtz, who once played in Cologne's youth training, has contributed 9 goals for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga so far this season and scored 6 goals in the UEFA Champions League, with outstanding performance.

Xabi Alonso said: "Wirts learned a lot in Cologne, but since coming to Leverkusen, he has grown even further. He is already a mature player, showing great ability on the court and is eager to continue to improve. He is a world-class player."