Leverkusen not dwelling on Europa League defeat ahead of Cup final - Alonso
After suffering their first defeat of the season in the Europa League final, Xabi Alonso believes his side can bounce back in the DFB-Pokal.
Bayer Leverkusen have quickly put Wednesday's Europa League final defeat to Atalanta behind them, says coach Xabi Alonso.
The freshly-crowned Bundesliga champions can clinch a first-ever domestic double with victory over second-division Kaiserslautern in Saturday's final.
Leverkusen had the opportunity to complete an unbeaten treble but saw their 51-match unbeaten run in all competitions ended in the Europa League final on Wednesday when they lost 3-0 to Atalanta.
Now, they have the opportunity to cap an already memorable season by winning the DFB-Pokal.
"It was a long way to get here, since August last year," said Alonso of Saturday's showcase at Berlin's Olympic stadium.
"We are here. It is great to have the last game of the season as a final. After Wednesday, we are ready and focused for tomorrow. We have to have the hunger and I think after Wednesday we have it more."
Prior to this season's Bundesliga title, Leverkusen's last trophy was the 1993 DFB-Pokal.
Alonso said the team had little time to review their first defeat of the season, but they had already put the loss behind them, having a shot at the double.
"The time for analysis is short because our focus is now on tomorrow. What happened on Wednesday hopefully will not have much influence," Alonso added.
"We have to continue after the defeat. The goal is big. Tomorrow we can cap it with the Cup. Dublin is gone and behind us, and now we think about Berlin."