A 10-man Bayern Munich went unpunished for a shock 3-2 home defeat to Bochum on Saturday after title chasers Bayer Leverkusen were beaten 2-0 by Werder Bremen.

Harry Kane struck twice as Bayern Munich eased to a 3-0 home win over 10-man Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, putting them on track for the Champions League quarter-finals.

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany on Friday compared his side's current duel with Bayer Leverkusen to the Manchester City-Liverpool Premier League battles of his playing days.

Given the scope of last year's achievements, where Alonso took Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double in Germany, Carro's tongue-in-cheek quip is believable.

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and his Bayer Leverkusen counterpart Xabi Alonso on Friday joined the growing chorus calling for action on player workload, amid talks of strikes.

"It may have looked pretty easy, but it's really not," Alonso told reporters after his team cruised to four first-half goals to break the Dutch resistance.

Bayer Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten Bundesliga run came to an end in their last game and manager Xabi Alonso hopes the short time he has had with his players will be sufficient to get back to winning ways.

Granit Xhaka praised his side's "pure mentality" as Florian Wirtz's goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time snatched a 3-2 win for reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen at Borussia Moenchengladbach in Friday's Bundesliga opener.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said Thursday that Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga title favourites this season, despite his side's incredible league and cup double last campaign.

Eyebrows were raised when Xhaka arrived from Premier League runners-up Arsenal at the start of last term, with Leverkusen coming off a fifth-placed finish and with rookie coach Xabi Alonso preparing for his first full season as a first-team head coach.

"What we did in the last 10 or 15 minutes, with a man down, to score the equaliser -- it was unbelievable," Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said after the match, praising his side's "huge spirit".

Vincent Kompany was officially presented as Bayern Munich's new coach on Thursday, insisting he did not share the football world's surprise at his appointment.

Bayer Leverkusen's German league and Cup double was the result of players keeping faith in the team throughout what turned into a dream season, their coach Xabi Alonso said on Saturday.

Leverkusen missed out on a treble after losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League final on Wednesday in their first defeat of the season after a European record 51-game unbeaten run.

Bayer Leverkusen face second-division Kaiserslautern in Saturday's German Cup final licking their wounds after a first loss in almost a year.

Leverkusen - or 'Neverlusen' as they had been dubbed after obliterating Bayern Munich's 11-year Bundesliga title monopoly in Germany - can still win a domestic double with victory against second-tier Kaiserslautern in Saturday's German Cup final.

Gian Piero Gasperini lavished praise on his "incredible" Atalanta players after they stunned Bayer Leverkusen to win the Europa League and claim their first ever continental honour.

Ademola Lookman scored a stunning hattrick as Atalanta ended Bayer Leverkusen's 51-match unbeaten run to win the Europa League final 3-0 on Wednesday and claim their first trophy for 61 years.

Bayer Leverkusen had won only two major trophies in their 119-year history before this season but on Wednesday the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions have the chance to claim a double when they face Atalanta in the Europa League final in Dublin.

Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz has been voted Player of the Season in the Bundesliga, the German League said on Monday, after the midfielder helped his club in winning their first league title.