team bus welcome from Bayer 04 Fans
A welcome has been organised to provide an extra shot of motivation ahead of this DFB Pokal tie. Anyone who wants to welcome the Werkself to the BayArena can gather on Bismarckstraße between the Janes brewery and the stadium by 18:45 CEST. The Bayer 04 fan liaison team recommends arriving early due to the high volume of traffic. Glass bottles are prohibited, as is setting off pyrotechnics - especially near the motorway bridge over Bismarckstraße. In addition, the road must remain clear to allow emergency services to pass through quickly. Bayer 04 fans should also use the north-west entrance (by E block) for quicker access to the stadium after the welcome.
#B04FCB: match facts
If Bayer 04 manage to repeat the 1-0 win in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 last term, Bayern would be eliminated twice in a row against the same club for the first time ever. In any case, the German record champions have had little reward at the BayArena recently: The Werkself are unbeaten in four of their last five home games against FCB and could secure their second final appearance in the last three years with a win in their third Pokal semi-final in a row. The Black and Reds have scored in each of their past 41 cup matches - a club record. Centre-forward Patrik Schick, who has scored the second-most goals in the DFB Pokal since the start of the 2024/25 season (six), just one less than Bayern's Harry Kane.
focus on FC Bayern
With his four goals in the current DFB Pokal campaign, the English striker has scored 51 goals across all competitions - the most recent of which secured the 35th league title for FC Bayern ahead of time last weekend in a 4-2 win against VfB Stuttgart. A special one for midfielder Joshua Kimmich: "We've rarely won the title with the consistency and confidence we’ve shown this season." In fact, Bayern have had few weak spots in attack or defence in reaching the DFB Pokal semi-finals for the first time in six years.
Bayern Munich have won 14 of their last 15 matches in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League - the only draw was a 1-1 result at the BayArena. Accordingly, coach Vincent Kompany has no intention of underestimating the Pokal tie: "We know what to expect. What we experienced time and again in Leverkusen was a great battle." The Belgian will be without Serge Gnabry at Leverkusen, who has been in good form recently. Find out which two other youngsters are also and where FCB might be vulnerable in our lowdown on the next opponents.
Werkself Live
Do you want to go into the DFB Pokal clash with the German record champions as an expert? Then take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday magazine, that provides key facts and figures about the game in compact form, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively, an online version is also available. This time on the XXL poster: Nathan Tella. Click HERE for the ePaper.
