Could it be described as a failure? With all the records that FC Bayern clocked up in the second half of the Bundesliga season, they just missed out on one. While they did achieve the magical number of 100 goals in a season on the final matchday with the 4-0 win at Wolfsburg, Lewandowski, Müller, Gnabry and Co. missed out on the record number of 101 goals that was also achieved by FCB in the 1971/72 league campaign. One goal short. However, the team led by coach Hansi Flick did earn the unofficial title of the best second half of the season team in the history of the Bundesliga with 16 wins and one draw – this time with a better goal difference of one compared with the team coached by Jupp Heynckes in 2012/13. They not only won the league title at the end of that season but also the treble. A success Bayern are aiming to repeat. They are looking to get title number two against the Werkself on Saturday and the record champions are on course for the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating Chelsea 3-0 in the first leg of the Round of 16. And, given their performances in recent months, Bayern do not need to fear any team in the world. Flick's team have won the last 16 matches and not lost in the last 25.
There is not much that hasn't been said about this Bayern team over recent weeks. About the defence with high flyer Alphonso Davies and the impressive David Alaba, now converted to a central defender. Through the important midfield axis consisting of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka who have both produced top performances in crucial matches. And, of course, the attack with Thomas Müller enjoying a renaissance under Flick and the 34 goals in 31 games striker Robert Lewandowski. In the second half of the season, Flick has put together an almost unbelievably homogenous and functioning starting eleven – and a lot points to the same players starting in the cup final. That's the line-up Bayern fielded in the 4-2 win at Leverkusen at the beginning of June.
Two recently injured key players could be back for the cup final. Midfielder Thiago, who underwent a groin operation, should be in the squad on Saturday according to Flick and there is also hope for central defender Niklas Süle who has returned to full training following his torn cruciate in October. Philippe Coutinho made his comeback against Wolfsburg at the weekend. The loanee from Barcelona was back on the pitch for the first time since the Bundesliga restart in the middle of May and he managed to play for half an hour. It would be a big surprise if Süle, Thiago or Coutinho start in the cup final – but Flick has several options in terms of selection after the stresses and strains of recent weeks.
It's obvious there are hardly any minuses on the pitch for Bayern at the moment. But the Werkself can still be hopeful: In spite of going through to the final, FC Bayern have struggled this season in the DFB Cup compared with their often dominant performances in the league. FCB only won their first round tie at Regional League side Energie Cottbus (3-1) by more than one goal. In the second round, the team from Munich were on the verge of going out to second division VfL Bochum but they salvaged a 2-1 win with two late goals. And in the following games against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (4-3), Schalke 04 (1-0) and Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1), Bayern also had their problems at times. And the Werkself have already shown this season that they can cause problems for the record champions. If there is space behind Alaba and Co. then the Werkself Express will have to make the most of it is in November 2019.
Flick not only has an outstanding record as head coach but he has also encouraged youth development. Since the Bundesliga restart, he has given three youngsters their Bundesliga debuts in Chris Richards (20), Oliver Batista Meier (19) and Jamal Musiala (17). The latter came on as a substitute in the 3-1 win against Freiburg on the last matchday to become the youngest ever Bayern player in the history of the Bundesliga. Regular first choice Davies and super sub Joshua Zirkzee are two 19-year-olds who have already made a name for themselves and defensive talent Tanguy Kouassi has been signed from Paris St Germain for the new season. There is no doubt the next generation of players at Bayern are already in the starting blocks.
Bayer 04 defender Sven Bender has made it clear: "A good day is not enough. We need a very, very good day." As FC Bayern are currently setting the gold standard in world football given their form over recent weeks. Of course, the record champions are also the favourites in the cup final. But: Bayer 04 are one of only two teams who have managed to beat Bayern under Flick. The Werkself were 2-1 winners at the Allianz Arena at the end of November and in February last year there was a 3-1 win for Bayer 04 at the BayArena. So another win is not impossible. Do it again lads!
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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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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