Xabi Alonso discusses possible changes against Darmstadt
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has spoken about the possibility of making changes to his starting line-up for Saturday's match against Darmstadt.
For a variety of reasons, speculation has swirled that Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso could make one or more changes to his starting line-up for Saturday's game against Darmstadt.
One of the big question marks is whether Xabi will risk playing Granit Xhaka in central midfield, given that his midfield linchpin is one yellow card away from suspension and that Leverkusen face title rivals Bayern Munich next week.
A few weeks ago, the Spanish coach faced a similar situation with Jonathan Tah and opted not to start the centre-back against Augsburg in order to ensure he could play against RB Leipzig the following week.
That speaks in favor of Xhaka getting a rest this week, but on the other hand, the Spanish coach doesn't have the same kind of versatility in midfield with Exequiel Palacios sidelined and Nadiem Amiri leaving for Mainz on transfer deadline day.
Asked about the possibility of Xhaka starting from the bench, Xabi Alonso kept his cards close to his chest at Friday's pre-match press conference.
"I don't want to say now. But we have enough players and options in the squad," said Xabi Alonso.
"It may or may not happen. We will see," said Xabi.
With Burkina Faso and Morocco eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations, Xabi will have Edmond Tapsoba and Amine Adli back in the squad.
Tapsoba was a definite starter before he left for the tournament, but the Leverkusen coach left it open whether the central defender will return to the starting line-up.
"They are fully fit. They've both played. It's not a nervous situation. We have previously had players come back from long journeys, train once and be in the starting line-up. It's not a problem for me. More options, more choices. That's better."
Xabi Alonso was also asked if new Real Betis signing Borja Iglesias could start at the expense of Patrik Schick, who has failed to score in Die Werkself's first three games of 2024.
Again, he didn't give much away, but seemed to hint at keeping Schick in the starting eleven.
"[Borja Iglesias] is fully fit. He trained normally with Betis and has been training with us all week. He is a candidate to play. We'll see for how long. It's great to have him with us, a good player who comes with good energy and great motivation."
Leverkusen face Darmstadt away on Saturday at 15.30 CET.