The German giants, famous in Europe for their unbeaten streak, have a double objective when they take on Roma at their own stadium on Thursday. Firstly, to secure qualification for the final in Dublin, and secondly, to enter the history books as the team with the longest unbeaten run in European football.

Should Spanish coach Xabi Alonso's side win or at least hold their own against Daniele De Rossi's Roma, they will take their unbeaten run to 49 matches, surpassing Portuguese side Benfica who, inspired by the legendary Eusebio, went 48 matches unbeaten between 1963 and 1965. The record has stood ever since and has never been so close to being broken.

Between 2011 and 2012, Italian giants Juventus went 43 matches without defeat.

Leverkusen won 2-0 in Rome last week and could still reach the final with a one-goal defeat, but breaking the record would be another outstanding achievement in a brilliant season.

After Leverkusen equalled Benfica's record with a 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last Sunday, goalkeeper and captain Lukas Hradecky said the pursuit of an unbeaten season had given his team "extra motivation".

"We are close," Hradecky said after the match, adding: "I will be able to tell my granddaughter and grandson about it.

The Finn was referring to the league season, in which Leverkusen have two games in which to become the first team to complete a Bundesliga campaign unbeaten, but they are just five games away from an unbeaten treble.

Even without Alonso, who was suspended for yellow cards and watched from the stands, Leverkusen had no problems in their 5-1 win over Frankfurt.

Leverkusen, who were crowned Bundesliga champions for the first time in April, are through to the German Cup final, where they will face second-division Kaiserslautern.

Avoiding defeat on Thursday will book them a place in the Europa League final in Dublin against the winner of Atalanta and Marseille.

Going into the season, Leverkusen had won just two major trophies in their history. With the Bundesliga already in the bag, Alonso's side could more than double their historic trophy tally in the Spaniard's first full season in charge of a top-flight side.

Former Leverkusen coach and sporting director Rudi Voeller said on Thursday that the decision to hire Alonso was "courageous and adventurous", as well as a "perfect decision".

"It is rare in the world of football that you strengthen not only in key positions but also in the areas behind them. That's the secret of why Bayer are still unbeaten," he said. "The treble is still possible. But whatever happens, it's been an outstanding season," concluded the 1990 World Cup winner.

Leverkusen have continued their impressive run even after Alonso decided to rest players. Both attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and left-back Alex Grimaldo were left out of the squad on Sunday.

With almost the entire squad at full fitness and playing at home for the penultimate time this season, breaking Benfica's record on Thursday could be the next step for Leverkusen, catapulting them into the history books for many years to come.