Leverkusen are unbeaten in four competitive meetings with Bayern for the first time ever (W2, D2) and now want to extend that run by booking their place in the quarter-finals. However, the Werkself have only prevailed once before out of seven DFB Pokal ties with the Bavarians, which came in the 2008/09 quarters (4-2).
It’s Bayer 04’s first cup tie away at a Bundesliga club for six years, when they won 5-0 at Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Werkself have been victorious in their last three Pokal ties on the road at top-flight opposition.
Bayern have failed to reach the final for the last four years, falling in the second round against Holstein Kiel, Gladbach and Saarbrücken, as well as Freiburg at the quarter-final stage. The latter was actually the Munich club’s last home fixture in the cup. The competition’s most successful club will be desperate to go further again this year.
Bayern remain top of the Bundesliga and the only unbeaten team in the division following the weekend’s 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund. Prior to Dortmund’s goal, they had gone seven games and 690 minutes in all competitions without conceding and like Bayer 04 are in good form ahead of Tuesday’s cup encounter. However, they will have to do without the injured Harry Kane. Find out more about our opponents in our in-depth profile piece.
The Werkself will have the support of some 5,000 supporters who’ve made the midweek trip from Leverkusen down to Munich.
The German FA (DFB) has appointed Harm Osmers as Tuesday’s referee. The 39-year-old has previously overseen 16 competitive fixtures involving the Werkself, producing nine wins, four draws and three defeats. His assistants are Dominik Schaal and Stefan Lupp.
Having not been used in the first two rounds of the Pokal, VAR will again be used across all last-16 fixtures. Bastian Dankert will oversee that role for this game. Goalline technology can also be used as of this stage, but it is only available in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 stadiums.
A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Spanish left-back Miguel Gutiérrez from Napoli. The 25-year-old has signed a contract with the club to 30 June 2031. Gutiérrez came through the youth ranks at Real Madrid; he moved to Italy a year ago from Girona, and he played a key role for Napoli with 36 appearances. The big Italian club finished last season as runners-up in Serie A.
Show more
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
Show more
The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
Show more
