Europe: Europa League
FT
3 - 0
(2 - 0)
Atalanta
Leverkusen
A. Lookman (12), A. Lookman (26), A. Lookman (75)
By Rune Gjerulff@runegjerulff

Xhaka on the secret of Leverkusen's success: "We drink blood every morning"

Asked to reveal the secret behind Bayer Leverkusen's success this season, Granit Xhaka joked that they "drink blood every morning".
Article image
Hayters - Pressbox Loading official content
Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen ready for UEL final vs Atalanta
Check out Bayer Leverkusen's final training session before facing Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League final.
0 seconds of 1 minute, 10 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
01:10
01:10
 

 

Unbeaten in 51 games, newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen are enjoying a sensational season.

Ahead of Wednesday's Europa League final against Atalanta in Dublin, the midfield linchpin was asked to reveal the secret behind Leverkusen's composure this season - and he had a surprising answer.

"We drink blood every morning," Xhaka replied with a laugh.

On Wednesday's clash with Atalanta - the second Europa League final of his career - Xhaka said:

"There are no underdogs. Atalanta have beaten the likes of Liverpool and Marseille, which is impressive. But we're playing the final to win it. We'll go to our limits and do everything to bring the trophy to Leverkusen.

“I lost the first [Europa League final], but there's always a second chance.”

Xhaka lost the 2019 Europa League final with Arsenal. The match ended in a 4-1 win for Chelsea.

Bundesliga news

Table

Bundesliga

Regular Season

#TeamP
1 FC Bayern68
2 Leverkusen59
3 Frankfurt48
4 Mainz 0545
5 Gladbach43
6 RB Leipzig42
7 Freiburg42
8 Augsburg39
9 Wolfsburg38
10 Dortmund38
11 Stuttgart37
12 Bremen36
13 Union Berlin30
14 Hoffenheim27
15 St. Pauli25
16 Heidenheim22
17 Bochum20
18 Holstein Kiel17
View full table
Kickfieber

Match days

German Teams in Europe

DFB-Pokal

German National Team

Long reads

Exclusive interviews

Team News