The Werkself face Elversberg for the second time in German professional football. The only other previous meeting was also in the DFB Pokal. In July 2022, Elversberg beat the Black and Reds 4-3 in the first round as a third tier club. That was one of two wins in a total of eleven DFB Pokal ties against a Bundesliga side for SVE. As the current holders, Bayer 04 are now unbeaten in the last seven games in this competition and have not conceded in the last three DFB Pokal ties.
The Black and Reds beat Carl Zeiss Jena 1-0 in the first round, Elversberg clocked up a 7-0 victory away to VfV 06 Hildesheim. That was the biggest win of all the teams in the first round of the DFB Pokal this season. SV Elversberg have not progressed beyond the second round of the competition in five previous attempts.
The club from the community of Elversberg, with a population of 13,000, has undergone a big development over the past three years. The team from the Saarland were promoted to the third division from the Regional League South West in 2021/22. They went on to win the league title and progress to Bundesliga 2. SVE are on course to continue their story of success. Elversberg have been in impressive form for weeks and have picked up ten points in the last four games. SVE have moved up from twelfth place to seventh in the top third of the table and are currently only three points behind a position for direct promotion. Further information on today's opposition is here in our lowdown on the next opponents.
The City of Leverkusen asks all spectators for today's DFB Pokal game to travel by public transport, bicycle or on foot. Further information (in German) can be found HERE on the Stadt Leverkusen website.
The Werkself will today wear the logo of Talcid, the new sleeve partner for games in the DFB Pokal. The Bayer brand, which was warn by the Leverkusen players on their shirts in the 1990s, will be seen on the sleeves up to the end of this current competition. Further information is available HERE.
Anyone wanting to discover the latest information ahead of the cup tie can take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday magazine, that includes key facts and stats on the match, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively it is available free online. HERE is the e-paper.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Benjamin Brand as the referee for the DFB Pokal tie against Elversberg. The 35-year-old referee has previously been in charge of eight games involving the Werkself (six wins, one draw, one defeat). Brandt's assistant referees today are Thomas Stein and Marco Achmüller. There is no VAR in the second round of the DFB Pokal.
The match will be broadcast live on Sky. As ever, supporters unable to be at the match can follow the game on Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep fans up-to-date. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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After back-to-back wins at home, Bayer 04 are now out for their first away win of 2026 as they visit Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday (15:30 CET). Ahead of the Matchday 20 fixture in the Bundesliga, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about renewed confidence, Frankfurt’s recent issues and Patrik Schick’s form so far this year.
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Eintracht Frankfurt are yet to win a game in 2026 and have managed only one victory in their last 12 competitive fixtures. Having already been eliminated from the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League, the Eagles are now focusing solely on the Bundesliga as they seek to get their season back on track with the visit of the Werkself on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the lowdown on our next opponents…
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