Preview: Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh from securing their 35th Bundesliga title, Bayern Munich return to action this Wednesday night as they travel to the BayArena for a DFB-Pokal semi-final clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

This is the third successive semi-final appearance for Die Werkself in this competition, while the Bavarians are preparing to compete in this stage of the cup for the first time in six years.

Match preview

Bayer Leverkusen’s hopes of securing a top-four finish in the Bundesliga took a major hit over the weekend following a 2-1 home defeat to Augsburg.

Kasper Hjulmand and his men now find themselves four points adrift of the Champions League places, but they will have to put their league ambitions aside this Wednesday night and prepare for cup duties against a treble-hunting Bayern Munich side.

Leverkusen are currently winless in five successive meetings with Bayern across all competitions, though their last win over the Bavarians did come in the DFB-Pokal almost two years ago.

Generally speaking, Die Werkself are in the midst of some frustrating form, drawing six of their last 11 competitive matches while managing just three victories.

On a more positive note, Leverkusen boast a solid record in the DFB-Pokal, losing just one match over the last three years.

The 2023-24 winners are now looking to reach their sixth DFB-Pokal final as they push for their fourth piece of silverware in three seasons.

Part one of Bayern Munich’s treble-winning plan has been accomplished after the Bavarians powered to a 4-2 victory over Stuttgart to claim their 13th Bundesliga title in 14 seasons.

Next on the agenda for Vincent Kompany’s men is to secure their spot in the DFB-Pokal final for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.

Wednesday night will mark Bayern’s first semi-final appearance since that same season, with the club enduring a five-year drought in the competition.

Despite playing away from home, Kompany’s side enter the match as favourites, having won 14 of their last 15 games across all competitions.

Interestingly, the only anomaly during that run was caused by Leverkusen at the BayArena, with Die Werkself battling to a 1-1 draw last March.

That result also marked the first time since January that Bayern failed to score more than one goal in a single game.

Speaking of goals, the Bavarians have rattled the back of the net 26 times across their previous seven outings - an outstanding average of 3.7 goals per game.

Bayer Leverkusen DFB-Pokal form:

W W W W

Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

D L D W W L

Bayern Munich DFB-Pokal form:

W W W W

Bayern Munich form (all competitions):

W W W W W W

Team News

Bayer Leverkusen enter Wednesday’s fixture with a couple of injury absentees.

Defender Arthur, for instance, has missed his last nine games with an ankle injury and is not expected back for the cup clash.

French forward Martin Terrier is also in the physio room nursing a hamstring injury, with the player unlikely to play any part on Wednesday.

Leverkusen will be hoping for another top performance from forward Patrik Schick, who is looking to score his fifth goal in as many games for the club.

Speaking of scoring, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane recently made history by becoming the first Englishman this century to score 50 competitive goals in one season.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man has embraced the trophy-winning culture in Bavaria, and he is now looking to add his first DFB-Pokal to his two Bundesliga crowns.

In terms of injuries, Bayern will be without Serge Gnabry, who missed last weekend’s win over Stuttgart with a muscle problem.

Young midfielders Tom Bischof and Lennart Karl are also unlikely to feature as they continue to nurse injuries.

Goalkeeper Sven Ulreich will also be on the sidelines due to a muscular issue.

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Tapsoba, Bade, Quansah; Grimaldo, Garcia, Palacios, Vazquez; Tella, Maza; Schick

Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:

Neuer; Laimer, Tah, Upamecano, Stanisic; Pavlovic, Kimmich; Diaz, Musiala, Olise; Kane

We say: Bayer Leverkusen 2-3 Bayern Munich

Bayer Leverkusen might have home advantage, but the task ahead of them is a daunting one.

Bayern Munich are scoring goals for fun as they continue to push for a potential treble, and we are backing the visitors to win a thrilling semi-final on Wednesday night.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.