This is the Bundesliga equivalent of Manchester City taking on Liverpool and most people in Germany are very happy that after 20 rounds of games Bayern Munich are not top. They are second with 50 points, a record for that position at this stage of the season, but Bayer Leverkusen have been better, unbeaten in 30 games in all competitions. They haven’t been lucky, just very good and their style reminds me of Barcelona when Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta were there. They have good ball control, they dominate possession and in Florian Wirtz they have a special player who can make a difference. Bayern are under pressure and that is why I think they will beat Leverkusen, because they’re at their best when they have big matches like this one. Their players are more focused than for a game against Bochum or Werder Bremen or Union Berlin. They are more motivated and play with a different mentality. They know a win would take them into first place which is a great motivation. Everyone is talking nicely about Leverkusen and those connected with Bayern are sick of hearing all the compliments they are getting. While this is an away game for Bayern, I think they will keep their heads, play with their brains and win. They are familiar with these kinds of games, they have plenty of experience and lots of players who know what it takes to win titles. I think that will make the difference and my prognosis is that Bayern will go first in the table and stay there because that’s where they feel comfortable. I expect them to attack Leverkusen very early and not let them play their passing, one-touch football. Leverkusen’s games against Leipzig and Stuttgart showed that they don’t like it if you get at them with strong, early pressing but you have to do it in the first half because you can’t sustain that kind of pressure for 90 minutes. It’s important not to let them control the game. I’m not surprised Xabi Alonso has done so well as a manager because even as a player he was always coaching on the field. He was a leader who offered a different perspective. Now he is coaching from the bench, where you also see things differently. He has made good transfers and given his players what they needed, instilling confidence and stability in their game. Leverkusen are the only German side who can still win a treble, which means he can give fringe players minutes and games in the cup and the Europa League. It helps keep everyone happy and means the positive atmosphere around the training ground is not just down to good results. His players are behind him and they believe in him. I think he will stay at Leverkusen for another year or two and then make the step up to Real Madrid, because people around him tell me that is his biggest dream. I don’t think he will go to Liverpool next season because it will not be easy for whoever comes after Jürgen Klopp to make people happy. Bayern don’t function as well as a team as Leverkusen but they have lots of individual quality and they have Harry Kane. I’d like to say thanks very much, Tottenham, for sending him to us because we’re very happy to have him in the Bundesliga. He isn’t just popular with Bayern fans, everyone loves him. He’s friendly, he always makes time for fans and next to Thomas Müller he’s the face of Bayern at the moment. Harry is a settled family man with good people around him, including his wife and children. They help him keep his feet on the ground. The fans adore him because he’s scoring so many goals but off the field he is humble. He’s also versatile, can drop deep in a playmaker role and make good passes for other players, which is unusual in a No 9. We like Harry because of his goals and his personality and now we like Eric Dier, who also came from Tottenham and is very experienced. He was too slow to play for Ange Postecoglou but Thomas Tuchel obviously thinks he can do a good job for him and he has impressed so far. I think he can help Bayern a lot whether he is playing or sitting on the bench now that Kim Min-jae is back from the Asian Cup. Lothar Matthäus won a record 150 caps for West Germany and Germany and played more than 400 times for Bayern Munich