Bayer 04 could have considered themselves lucky at the end of the game. Only an impressive spell late on saw the Werkself secure a 3-2 away win in Berlin in the middle of February after the team from Köpenick made the better start to the game. The impressive performances by the newcomers in the league game should serve as a warning for the cup tie between the two teams – particularly as Union have fared so well on the road in recent times. The last two away fixtures in the Bundesliga at Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1) and Werder Bremen (2-0) were both won by the by Urs Fischer’s team – as was the DFB Cup Round of 16 tie at Regional League side SC Verl (1-0) that saw Union progress to the quarter-final encounter in Leverkusen.
The club from the capital are enjoying their best season in the DFB Cup since the legendary campaign in 2000/01 when the Berliners sensationally progressed to the final only to lose 2-0 to Schalke 04. Union started their current cup run with a 6-0 victory at Germania Halberstadt and a 3-1 win against league rivals SC Freiburg.
Even though the two goals conceded by Bayer 04 in the league match came from open play: The Werkself will have to be wary of set pieces from the Berliners. In Marvin Friedrich, Neven Subotic, Sebastian Polter and, in particular, Sebastian Andersson, Union have several outstanding headers of the ball and in the Bundesliga they have won the most aerial challenges by a distance: Unions players have come out on top in 763 of those challenges and Freiburg have the second highest number with over 200 less. In addition, Union have an outstanding set-piece specialist in Christopher Trimmel. The captain set up both goals from free kicks in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against VfL Wolfsburg.
But set plays are not the only danger given the exploits of one proven cup specialist: Midfielder Robert Andrich needed 23 games to score his first goal in the Bundesliga and yet has found the back of the net in the last three Union Berlin cup games. He scored the fifth goal at Halberstadt, the crucial second goal for his team at Freiburg and the winner in the 1-0 win at Verl. Andrich scored all three goals late on. So Bayer 04 should keep an eye out for the 25-year-old particularly at the end of the cup tie.
Talking about late on: In recent weeks, Union have again and again had problems in the final stages of games with four of the last six goals conceded after the 75th minute. The Berliners have led in the last three Bundesliga fixtures but only ended up winning once – and that was put at risk in Frankfurt with an own goal in the last quarter of an hour. Union conceded two goals in the last ten minutes against the Werkself and, in Sunday’s game against Wolfsburg, the Wolves equalised on 81 minutes to cancel out a 2-0 lead.
Tenth place after 24 games, a nine-point lead over the play-off spot and a place in the cup quarter-finals – the performance of the Berliners in their first season in the top-flight is more than remarkable. It certainly looks like Union should be able to establish a place in Germany's first division in the coming seasons. The club has certainly made a name for themselves over the years.
In spite of the recently discovered strength away from home, Union Berlin are the underdogs at Leverkusen. However, if the team led by Urs Fischer can repeat the performance in the Bundesliga game against the Werkself then that could make the quarter-final a tough proposition for Bayer 04.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 32-year-old joins the Werkself from the Lower Rhine Bundesliga club on loan to the end of the current season. This is the reaction of Bayer 04 to the injury to first choice keeper Mark Flekken, who faces a long spell on the sidelines.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Jonas Omlin. Bayer 04 have signed the 32-year-old goalkeeper on loan from Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach until the end of the season. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes described the Swiss shot stopper, signed by the Werkself in reaction to the long-term absence of first choice keeper Mark Flekken, as an "internationally experienced keeper." Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the new signing, who will wear the number 18 jersey.
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Lucas Vázquez was the hero in Saturday's 1-0 home win against Werder Bremen, when the Spaniard scored his first Bundesliga goal to secure an important victory for Leverkusen. The 34-year-old right-sided recently met up with the Werkself magazine for an interview in the Düsseldorf restaurant Casa Galicia after the first few months of settling in to his new home in Germany. Over tapas, the five-time Champions League winner, who left Real Madrid in the summer after 18 years to continue his career at Bayer 04, spoke about his career to date, the new challenge in Leverkusen and the importance of family - and he paid a big compliment to the fans of his new club.
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