Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen and last season’s runner-up VfB Stuttgart will face each other on Friday. Among the many fascinating matches on the field will be Victor Boniface’s bragging rights battle with Deniz Undav…

In hindsight, the summer of 2023 turned out to be a crucial summer for Bundesliga attackers. While both Niclas Füllkrug and Christopher Nkunku are talented forwards, their 16 goals in 2022/23 represent the lowest number recorded by a team. Torjägerkönig In the history of Germany’s best footballers and with the Frenchman’s move to English Premier League club Chelsea after the end of the season, the lack of productive strikers in the post-Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland era has become glaringly obvious.

That’s why the Bundesliga’s best have turned to strengthening their forward lines with lethal marksmen. Bayern Munich has become irresistible Harry KaneHe won the 2023/24 Golden Shoe award. RB Leipzig Replaced Nkunku Loïs OpendaThe player who scored 24 goals in his first season in the Bundesliga.

Eintracht Frankfurt purchased their services Ömer MarmuşMeanwhile – joint top scorer this season – And Serhou Guirassy made a loan move VfB Stuttgart permanent and subsequently found the back of the net 28 times in the league.

Wristwatch: Every goal by Harry Kane in the Bundesliga

Among the plethora of attacking transfers were: boniface And UndavTwo players who deserve their current status among the country’s best forwards. And their performances took their respective teams to new heights.

Patriarch Schick‘s battle with injury meant Xabi AlonsoHis team needed a new focal point and as a result turned to Boniface. The Nigerian player scored 17 goals with Union Saint-Gilloise in the previous season; All three of these resulted in 17 goals. Union Berlin And Leverkusen It was in the UEFA Europa League, but the amount was still unknown.

It would be fair to say that he has achieved great success, scoring six goals in his first five Bundesliga matches. Dying to Yourself They set up their plans early for their first championship. It soon became clear that they were going to be a tough nut to crack, and that was proven when he stormed into the top spot. Boniface scored 14 goals in the league; This number would certainly have been higher had he not missed nine matches due to injury, and he scored 21 goals in all competitions, earning him first place. Rookie of the Year dominant, reward for their explosive display and lots of applause.

Wristwatch: 2023/24 Rookie of the Season winner – Victor Boniface

Undav, about 385 kilometers southeast of Swabia, has completed its first loan move. Stuttgart in August. Sebastian Hoeneßhis side needed a relegation play-off win Hamburg They aim to maintain their top spot in the 2022/23 season and although their improved form since the start of the year suggests they are significantly better off fighting against the drop, optimism remains cautious.

There was no need for any doubt. The future German international, Boniface’s predecessor at Union in Belgium, had to bide his time in his search for a place in the first team, given injuries and the presence of Guirassy. However, several impressive substitute performances meant that Hoeneß had no choice but to include him in the starting line-up.

It proved to be the perfect goal for Guirassy, ​​scoring a whopping 18 times while also providing nine assists. The importance of his ability to both lead on his own and bring out the best in those around him became clear as Stuttgart qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 14 years.

Despite their huge, immediate impact, following this separates the one-term wonders from the crème de la crème, and both players have shown they have no problem dealing with rising expectations.

Wristwatch: Deniz Undav, Stuttgart’s Mr. Unpredictable

All in all, Leverkusen has had a mixed start to the 2024/25 season; Matching their unbeaten duo at home was always going to be a big ask. However, Boniface held up his end of the bargain, scoring six goals in the first eight games; only Marmoush and Kane have more.

Those who know Leverkusen will not be surprised. Boniface spent much of the season getting back into shape and this did not go unnoticed by head coach Alonso. The Spaniard even praised his star man recently. Curtain-opening Super Cup win against Stuttgart“I’m glad he took the time. We didn’t have enough time for him to train after his injury. We needed him for the matches. “We now see a lighter and more athletic Boni in the penalty area.”

Stuttgart, too, has yet to reach the levels it has achieved while balancing the Bundesliga with European duties. If Undav had not accelerated even more after Guirassy’s departure Borussia DortmundThings could be even worse. The 28-year-old has already gone on strike five times since switching to work permanently. Schwaben die – he also has a feature Goal against current European champions Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League for him and led from the front in a young squad.

Deniz Undav found the back of the net for Stuttgart against Real Madrid. – IMAGO/Oscar J. Barroso

He is now one of the elder statesmen in the locker room and his role as an example to those with less experience is being handled well. Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth said recently: “Deniz is a showman, but also a leader. These are needed more than ever in modern football; that’s what makes him so valuable for Germany and for us. Deniz is an asset both open and closed.” .field.”

These are two players who have never shyed away from their responsibilities – Boniface has taken more shots than any other player in the league this season (36), with Undav currently in third place in this statistic (30). Both continue to overcome this situation, which means it is only a matter of time before their teams find their individual consistency.

Both players were on the scoresheet in the Super Cup, which ended in a fascinating manner. 2-2 draw before Leverkusen won on penalties. this was that the latest in a series of tough head-to-head encounters – Shares broke down in every league match last season, but only lately Jonathan Tah The goal was the difference. Leverkusen’s 3-2 DFB Cup quarter-final victory.

Wristwatch: Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 VfB Stuttgart – Super Cup summary

These evenly matched events underscore that this final meeting could be defined by a quality moment that both Boniface and Undav are capable of creating. You can’t bet that both will be in the spotlight at the BayArena when the time comes.