Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich face defending champions Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday evening in a crucial DFB-Pokal clash, with only one team able to advance to the quarter-finals.
Bayern will host Leverkusen with a nine-point lead over them in the league, but the cup match will offer a different kind of challenge.
Bayern Munich come into this high-profile cup tie following a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the latest edition of Der Klassiker. Jamal Musiala's late goal salvaged a point for Bayern, keeping their unbeaten away record intact in the Bundesliga. However, their seven-match winning streak across all competitions came to an end. During that run, they scored 18 goals and kept seven clean sheets.
Under manager Vincent Kompany, Bayern have looked solid, including a 1-0 win over PSG in the Champions League, thanks to a header from Kim Min-jae. They are currently sitting comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga, six points clear of their nearest rivals, and just a point off the top eight in Europe with three games left to play in the group stages.
After 4-0 wins over Ulm and Mainz in previous rounds of the DFB-Pokal, Bayern are now focused on the competition they’ve won 20 times. But it’s been a while since they last lifted the cup, with their most recent triumph coming back in 2020. This year, they’ll be determined to make a deeper run.
Bayer Leverkusen head into this match with plenty of confidence, having gone undefeated against Bayern in their last four encounters, their longest unbeaten streak against the Bavarians.
After claiming the Bundesliga title last season, Leverkusen also won the DFB-Pokal by defeating Kaiserslautern in the final, completing an unbeaten domestic campaign. However, historically, they’ve only knocked Bayern out of the cup once in seven attempts , a 4-2 win in the 2009 quarter-finals.
This season, Leverkusen started their cup run with a win over Carl Zeiss Jena and followed that up with a 3-0 victory over Elversberg in round two. They also boast an incredible record in the DFB-Pokal, having scored in their last 34 away matches in the competition, a record in its history. The last time they failed to score in a German cup match was in 2015, when they drew 0-0 with Bayern before losing on penalties.
Leverkusen head into this cup clash after a strong 5-0 victory over Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League, keeping them above Bayern in the standings. They also edged past Union Berlin 2-1 in the Bundesliga, with Patrik Schick scoring the winner. Despite their solid form, Leverkusen trail Bayern by nine points and are currently three places behind them in the league after 11 matches.
This promises to be a tense and exciting DFB-Pokal encounter, with both teams eager to progress.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Harry Kane will miss Tuesday's DFB-Pokal clash for Bayern Munich after being substituted in the first half of Der Klassiker following treatment for a hamstring issue. A scan later confirmed he had suffered a minor strain.
The star striker, who became the fastest player in Bundesliga history to score 50 goals last month, will be replaced by either Thomas Muller or Mathys Tel, offering Bayern a different style of attacking threat.
Bayern will also be without Joao Palhinha, Hiroki Ito, Josip Stanisic, and Sven Ulreich for the match, though midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic has returned to training after recovering from shoulder surgery.
On the Leverkusen side, they will be missing Victor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann, Amine Adli, Jeanuel Belocian, and Martin Terrier due to injury. With Boniface out, Patrick Schick is expected to lead the line, while Ukrainian teenager Artem Stepanov — who recently made his Champions League debut — could be an option off the bench.
Florian Wirtz is likely to return to the starting XI for Leverkusen, with Robert Andrich, Aleix Garcia, and captain Granit Xhaka forming the midfield trio.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Boey, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Musiala, Coman; Muller
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Garcia, Grimaldo; Wirtz; Schick
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Bayern Munich 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Although Bayern Munich were held to a draw by Leverkusen in their September meeting, it looks like this season will see Bayern reclaim their top spot.
Xabi Alonso's side isn’t quite the powerhouse they were at this time last year, while Bayern have been outstanding at both ends of the pitch, showing strength in defence and firepower up front.
