Bundesliga
On Saturday, the new season kicks off in earnest as reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen take on 2023/24 runners-up VfB Stuttgart in the Supercup (kick-off: 8.30pm CEST). Following a trio of thrilling clashes last term, the division’s current leading coaches Xabi Alonso and Sebastian Hoeneß will face off once more.
In April, Stuttgart were just seconds away from inflicting a first competitive defeat of the campaign on Leverkusen. A victory would have been deserved, too. They raced into a two-goal lead courtesy of strikes from Chris Führich and Deniz Undav, and had numerous opportunities to further extend their advantage. However, Leverkusen responded as they so often did on their way to their maiden Meisterschale, halving the deficit through Alejandro Grimaldo before Robert Andrich netted an almost-inevitable equaliser in the sixth minute of second-half injury time.
Watch: Highlights of last season's dramatic 2-2 draw
Ultimately, though, it wasn’t surprising to see Stuttgart cause Leverkusen real problems considering how they performed throughout the season. They were one of the Bundesliga’s best outfits to watch and are worthy UEFA Champions League competitors. Pushing Die Werkself all the way was extra proof of their credentials.
Historic season
Ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, few would have predicted the Matchday 31 clash between Leverkusen and Stuttgart to be a top-of-the-table affair, and predicting a Supercup involving the two clubs would have appeared even more far-fetched. It's easy to forget that Stuttgart needed the relegation play-off to stay amongst the elite at the end of 2022/23, while Leverkusen were 16th in the table after 12 fixtures that term.
Watch: Get ready for the Supercup!
Plenty of players have stepped to the fore over the past 12 months and contributed to each outfit’s remarkable turnaround, but the two coaches deserve special praise. Under Alonso, Leverkusen have triumphed in 41 of their 60 Bundesliga matches, which works out at a win ratio of 68 percent, and the 2.3 points he has managed per game in the German top flight is a club record.
Watch: Analysing Alonso's champions
Hoeneß’s record is similar, winning 26 of his 42 league fixtures thus far at a rate of 2.1 points per game.
For Leverkusen, those numbers led to the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title, which they claimed by becoming the first team to go an entire campaign unbeaten. Stuttgart, meanwhile, registered their record Bundesliga points total alongside their highest position since finishing on top of the pile 17 years ago.
Both aged 42, Alonso and Hoeneß are at the start of their careers, with this the first time each will contest a Supercup as head coach – Alonso did so twice as a player.
Watch: Analysing Sebastian Hoeneß's VfB Stuttgart
Much like that captivating 2-2 draw four months ago, the teams enter this one close to level terms. In each of the four meetings between the two bosses in their current roles, Hoeneß and Stuttgart have taken a 1-0 lead. Thus far, though, Die Schwaben have been unable to translate those openers into wins, drawing on three occasions and losing 3-2 in the DFB Cup quarter-finals.
Watch: All the goals between Leverkusen and Stuttgart in 2023/24
Will they finally break their duck? They will have to do what no German team has managed in well over a year - beat Alonso's Leverkusen. It would also earn Hoeneß a second major trophy as a coach, having previously led Bayern's reserves to the 3. Liga title in 2020, cementing his place as one of German football's brightest tacticians.