The 31-year-old knows how it all works: The defender can look back at five finals in the DFB Cup including two wins with Borussia Dortmund (2011/12 and 2016/17). "We need top preparation – with full concentration on the game," said the Leverkusen player ahead of the meeting with the record cup winners.
The circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic – the final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin will be played behind closed doors – are also new for the stalwart. Sven Bender: "The atmosphere before, during and after the final was always very special. It will be different this time round. But that's not a problem for us. There is great anticipation as the club hasn't been in a final for a long time. We are all eager to win this title!"
Bayer 04, alongside Borussia Mönchengladbach, are only one of two teams who have beaten the Munich side since Hansi Flick took over as coach – the 55-year-old was the successor to Niko Kovac at the start of November. Sven Bender does believe that Bayern are much stronger today than they were in the 2-1 away win at the Allianz Arena at the end of November. "Since then, they have come on a long way. They are incredibly difficult to play against and beat under Hansi Flick. That's clearly what the statistics show," said the Werkself central defender. "But we have weapons to beat them. We have to be brave and play our own game."
Therefore, the 31-year-old does not see an option of initiating a plan B given the pace of the FCB defence that the Leverkusen wingers will face: "Our own game has brought us to the final and also a lot of points in the Bundesliga."
Clashes with FC Bayern have a special importance to Sven Bender because "they're the strongest team in Germany and belong to the top teams in Europe and worldwide." The Werkself defender was born in Rosenheim in Upper Bavaria and played for the youth teams at SpVgg Unterhaching as well as TSV 1860 Munich. As Saturday night brings a clash with the great rivals of the two former clubs of Sven and Lars Bender, "we would like to make the fans of Haching and 1860 happy with a win."
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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A memorable 12 months: 2025 was a year marked by success, intense competition and groundbreaking innovations for the #B04eSports team. After ending the 2024/25 season as runners-up, the Leverkusen-based console pros got down to business in a new, completely restructured season model, in which showdowns rather than divisions were the decisive factor on the road to the final round of the German Club Championship. Bayer 04 quickly earned a place in the history books of the most prestigious competition in German eSports and secured some valuable advantages for the coming year. Bayer04.de takes a look back at 12 months full of passion and the determination to take the next step.
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Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
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