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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The DFB-Pokal quarter-final will be broadcast on Sky Germany and free on terrestrial TV on ARD.
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.
Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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A special surprise: during the preview for the 'Fierté Burkinabè' documentary about Edmond Tapsoba, Bayer 04 directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes announced Tapsoba's contract extension until 2031 together with the centre-back. He then spoke to Werkself-TV about his time in Leverkusen so far and future ambitions...
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This evening was deeply moving: At a really special setting, Bayer 04 exclusively presented the specially produced documentary ‘Fierté Burkinabè’ ("Burkinabe Pride") about Edmond Tapsoba on Tuesday. For the preview at the BayArena, the parents of the Werkself player and other close companions travelled all the way from his African homeland Burkina Faso. The 45-minute film shows Tapsoba's extraordinary career from his beginnings in Ouagadougou to Leverkusen as well as the work of his foundation "Fondation Edmond Tapsoba", with representatives from Burkina Faso also present. Fans can watch the documentary free of charge on Werkself TV and YouTube from Wednesday night at 20:00 CEST.
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Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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