Bayer Leverkusen welcome Bayern Munich to the BayArena with a place in the DFB-Pokal final on the line. The timing of this clash makes it even more interesting. Bayern come in on the back of another Bundesliga title, while Leverkusen are trying to steady things after a frustrating run in the league.
The hosts haven’t quite found consistency lately, dropping points at key moments and slipping further away from the top four. That said, cup football has been a different story. Leverkusen have handled this competition well in recent seasons and tend to look more composed in knockout games. Still, their recent record against Bayern Munich doesn’t offer much comfort.
Predicted Lineups And Key Team News
Leverkusen are dealing with a couple of absences heading into this one. Arthur remains out with an ankle problem and isn’t expected to return in time, while Martin Terrier is still recovering from a hamstring injury. That puts more responsibility on Patrik Schick, who has quietly put together a strong scoring run and will be their main outlet up front.
Bayern Munich, on the other hand, look sharp and settled. They’ve been winning regularly and scoring for fun, which has made them difficult to deal with regardless of the opponent. Harry Kane continues to lead the line and has been central to their attacking output, hitting numbers that underline just how effective he has been this season.
There are a few injury concerns for Bayern as well. Serge Gnabry is expected to miss out again, while Sven Ulreich, Tom Bischof, and Lennart Karl are also unavailable. Even so, the depth in the squad means there’s no real drop in quality.
Bayer Leverkusen Predicted XI:
Flekken; Tapsoba, Bade, Quansah; Grimaldo, Garcia, Palacios, Vazquez; Tella, Maza; Schick
Bayern Munich Predicted XI:
Neuer; Laimer, Tah, Upamecano, Stanisic; Pavlovic, Kimmich; Diaz, Musiala, Olise; Kane
On current form, Bayern go in as favourites, but semi-finals don’t always follow the script. If Leverkusen can stay organised and take their chances, this could turn into a much tighter contest than it looks on paper.
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