Arminia Bielefeld will face Bayer Leverkusen, presenting a compelling matchup between a third-tier team and a Bundesliga powerhouse. Bielefeld's journey to this stage has been remarkable, as they have eliminated three Bundesliga teams while showcasing impressive offensive capabilities . However, they will be challenged by Leverkusen’s superior form and tactical prowess. With Leverkusen holding a 61% win rate compared to Bielefeld’s 41%, the odds appear stacked against the underdogs .
Bayer Leverkusen will look to make it successive DFB Pokal finals when they travel to Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday night, but they will have to do it against the Bundesliga giant-killers.
Union Berlin, Freiburg and Werder Bremen to set up a semi-final against reigning league and cup champions, Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who themselves beat Bayern Munich before needing extra time to eliminate local rivals FC Köln in the quarter-final.
Should Arminia win, they will be the first 3. Liga side to reach the DFB Pokal final since Union Berlin in 2001.
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Leverkusen have won their last two games after recovering from their Champions League exit and a loss to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.
They are second in the standings, trailing leaders Bayern Munich by six points with seven matches remaining.
Should Leverkusen snap Arminia's cup run, they will reach the DFB-Pokal final in consecutive seasons for the first time in their history.
Arminia Bielefeld possible starting lineup: Kersken; Lannert, Schneider, Felix, Oppie; Schreck, Russo; Kunze, Corboz, Worl; Kania
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup: Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Adli, Garcia; Schick
Leverkusen may see the return of Tella but will be without several crucial players including Wirtz and Tapsoba . This dynamic may influence both teams’ lineups significantly.
Despite their challenges, Bielefeld possesses a strong home advantage at SchucoArena with four consecutive DFB-Pokal victories there . Nonetheless, individual performances from players like Julian Kania for Bielefeld and Patrik Schick for Leverkusen could tip the scales in favor of the latter. As such, while predictions lean towards a Bayer Leverkusen victory based on form and statistics , football remains unpredictable.
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