Leverkusen edge closer to Dublin as another record looms

Xabi Alonso's rampaging Bayer Leverkusen will have an additional incentive in Thursday's home second-leg Europa League semifinal against Roma: breaking a 59-year-old European football record.

Avoiding defeat against Roma on Thursday will not only mean a trip to Dublin for the Europa League final, it will also extend their unbeaten run to 49 games – the best mark in European football history.

An Eusebio-inspired Benfica went on a 48-game unbeaten streak between 1963 and 1965. The record has stood since, but Leverkusen have a golden chance of blowing it out of the water.

Alonso's side has already overtaken Juventus' 43-match unbeaten run from 2011 to 2012, which was the best of a team in the top five European leagues.

Leverkusen won 2-0 in Rome last week and could progress to the final even with a one-goal loss, but breaking the record would be yet another outstanding achievement in an already brilliant season.

'I CAN TELL MY GRANDCHILDREN'

Speaking after Leverkusen equalled Benfica's record with a 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, Leverkusen goalkeeper and captain Lukas Hradecky said pursuit of an unbeaten season gave his side "extra motivation".

"It's close," said Hradecky after the game, explaining "I can tell my granddaughter and grandson about this."

The Finn was referring to the league season, where Leverkusen have two more games to become the first team to go a Bundesliga campaign without defeat, but Leverkusen are just five matches away from an unbeaten treble.

Even with Alonso forced to watch from the stands due to a yellow card suspension, Leverkusen were not troubled against Frankfurt.

Already crowned Bundesliga champions for the first time back in April, Leverkusen are through to the German Cup final, where