Matchday news #B04VfB: Crunch cup tie at sold-out BayArena

#B04VfB – match facts

Bayer 04 have played VfB Stuttgart three times in the DFB-Pokal to date – always at home – and they have won all three games. The Werkself have not played any other team as often in Germany's domestic cup competition and have always come out on top.

In all competitions, the Werkself have only lost one of the last 24 matches against Stuttgart (17 wins, six draws). Bayer 04 have also not clocked up more wins in professional football against any other club than they have against VfB Stuttgart (43).

focus on VfB stuttgart

Following a dip in form at the start of the year with two defeats against Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-3) and VfL Bochum (0-1), Stuttgart are currently producing impressive performances: VfB beat RB Leipzig 5-2 on Matchday 19 and last Saturday they secured a 3-1 away win at SC Freiburg. Deniz Undav played a big part in both wins with four goals and two assists. Serhou Guirassy, who has scored 14 goals in 17 league matches, is available again after returning from AFCON. And the regular choice at full-back Hiroki Ito, who went out of the Asia Cup with Japan, is also ready to play for VfB again. Further information on VfB can be found in the  profile of our next opponents.

A1 Rhine bridge open

Good news for all drivers: The new Leverkusen autobahn Bridge was opened to traffic again on Sunday. The A1 between the Leverkusen junction and Köln-Nord was closed for two weeks to allow the new parts of the bridge to be connected to the road network. This road is now open making access to the BayArena via the A1 available again.

a minute's silence for Beckenbauer

In honour of the football legend Franz Beckenbauer there will be a minute’s silence before kick-off at today's quarter-final. The 'Kaiser' passed away at the age of 78 on 7 January.

the new Werkself Live

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.

Werkself Radio and Live text updates

As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.

Live on Sky and ARD

The DFB-Pokal quarter-final will be broadcast on Sky Germany and free on terrestrial TV on ARD.

Schlager is the ref

The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Daniel Schlager as the referee for tonight's game. The 34-year-old has previously been in charge of nine fixtures involving the Werkself resulting in five wins, two draws and two defeats from a Black and Red perspective. Schlager will have the support of assistants Sven Waschitzki-Günther and Christian Dietz with Benjamin Brand in action as the VAR.