Focus shifts to Bundesliga and Leverkusen's 'interesting position', says Alonso

Bayer Leverkusen must bounce back from their surprise midweek German Cup exit to third-tier club Arminia Bielefeld and focus on the Bundesliga, the only competition where they can still challenge for silverware, coach Xabi Alonso said on Friday.

Reigning champions Leverkusen, who travel to strugglers Heidenheim on Saturday, are in second place, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, with seven matches to play.

"Now we can really focus only on the Bundesliga because the situation is a different one," Alonso told a press conference. "But after the Cup defeat we have to keep going. We have seven matches in the league left to play and we have to win them."

On Tuesday they suffered a shock German Cup semi-final exit to third-tier Arminia Bielefeld with a 2-1 loss.

Alonso's team performance was far from their best and the coach said it was now important to bounce back on Saturday because there was no room for dropped points at this stage of the season.

"Now it is only about the Bundesliga. We are in an interesting position for anything to happen so we will see," Alonso said, adding he had been talking to his players in the past days to quickly overcome the Cup setback.

"The best thing is to talk, to share our emotions. It was an important goal for us to go to Berlin (for the Cup final) but sometimes you have to accept that sport is like that.

"We had big expectations to be in Berlin but now is the moment... to show a good reaction and a good spirit. That's what we want tomorrow," he added.