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."
The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
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A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
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For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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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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