Over the weekend, Bayern Munich’s seven game streak of clean sheets wins came to an end in the wild Der Klassiker 1-1 draw. Bayern’s attack struggled with creativity and finishing and the injury to Harry Kane did not help matters. Luckily, Jamal Musiala delivered a late header to salvage a point. Fun fact: Musiala has the most header goals in Europe this season (via @iMiaSanMia).
Bayern Munich has the historical edge (43W-17D-16L) but has failed to beat Bayer Leverkusen in the last four meetings. The two clubs have not met in the DFB-Pokal since 2020 when Bayern Munich won 4-2 on their way to the sextuple.
Leverkusen is currently in 3rd place of the Bundesliga, sitting seven points behind first place Bayern. Leverkusen is also in 6th place of the Champions League, seven spots ahead of Bayern. Bayern is undefeated in its last eight matches and Leverkusen is working on a four game streak as well.
In the DFB-Pokal, both teams have cruised to clean sheets wins in both previous rounds. Bayern defeated Ulm and Mainz (both 4-0) while Leverkusen beat Carl Zeiss Jena (1-0) and Elversberg (3-0).
Team news
Here are the projected lineups, courtesy of BFW:
The biggest question on the table is who will replace Kane after he left the Dortmund match early with a thigh injury that will keep him out of action for a few weeks. Thomas Müller earned the nod as the substitute against Dortmund but failed to impress or connect with his teammates. Müller should be expected to enter the match in the second half for one of the central attackers.
Kompany tends to run with known quantities and in this case that puts Serge Gnabry as the number nine. Kingsley Coman will need to be on the left wing to help Alphonso Davies deal with Jeremie Frimpong. Leroy Sané has outperformed Michael Olise in recent matches and will likely earn the nod at right wing. If Kompany really wanted to confuse Xabi Alonso, pushing up Sané as a false nine and playing Olise at right wing would be a clever move.
Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka will lock down the central midfield directly behind Musiala. Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, and Manuel Neuer are irreplaceable in the back. However, Sacha Boey played well enough against Dortmund to earn 60 minutes at right back.
Bayern will be missing Harry Kane, Aleksandar Pavlović, João Palhinha, Josip Stanišić, and Hiroki Itō.
Leverkusen’s lineup is always a wildcard, as Alonso likes to mix up personnel and formations to confuse the opponents. In a knockout round, expect Leverkusen to press high early in the match to get a quick goal before settling into a shell for longer stretches to take the wind out of Bayern’s sails.
Looking for an extended breakdown of Bayern Munich’s DFB-Pokal showdown with Bayer Leverkusen? Then check out our latest Bavarian Podcast Works Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
