Bayer Leverkusen welcome Bayern München to the BayArena on Wednesday night for a German Cup semi-final that tells two completely different stories. One is about salvaging something from a season that’s quietly fallen apart. The other is about a treble that’s starting to feel inevitable.
Match Analysis
Leverkusen got walloped by Augsburg at the weekend, and it hurt more than just the scoreline.
A 2-1 home defeat to a side fighting relegation was the latest reminder that their league campaign has become genuinely concerning. Four points off the CL places with the finish line in sight is not where anyone at this club expected to be. The cup, then, has become their last decent chance at something to show for their efforts. Here’s the thing though: they’re actually decent in this competition.
Looking back at their record in the German Cup over the last few years, they’ve been reliable when it matters. Getting to another final would give them silverware and, frankly, a much-needed morale boost. The alternative, crashing out here and limping through the rest of the season without CL football, doesn’t bear thinking about. But there’s a pattern that keeps haunting them.
Six draws in their last eleven games. Three wins in that stretch. They keep getting themselves into matches, keep being competitive, but they’re not finishing teams off. That’s a problem against most sides. Against Bayern Munich, it’s a death sentence.
Bayern, meanwhile, just wrapped up another league title like they were picking up the groceries.
That 4-2 win over Stuttgart sealed their 13th league title in 14 years, and you’d think that would be enough for most people. Not Bayern. Vincent Kompany’s mob has barely paused for breath. They’re already eyeing what else they can win before May’s done. The form is genuinely obscene.
Fourteen wins from their last fifteen matches. Twenty-six goals in seven games. This isn’t just dominance; it’s the kind of run that makes you wonder if anyone’s actually going to stop them. They’re not just winning, but they’re doing it with a swagger that suggests they know something everyone else doesn’t.
One blot on the copybook worth noting: Leverkusen held them to a 1-1 draw here back in March.
That result has become almost legendary because it’s the exception that proves the rule. Bayern have been so relentless since then that one draw from half a season ago feels almost irrelevant. Still, it gives the hosts a tiny shred of evidence that Bayern can be contained. Tiny being the operative word.
The problem for Leverkusen is straightforward. They’ll need to be clinical, ruthless even, with whatever chances fall their way. Bayern don’t need to be. They’ve got multiple ways to hurt you, multiple weapons, and the confidence of a side that hasn’t forgotten how to win. That’s a massive gap to bridge, even with seventy thousand people behind you.
Team News
Leverkusen are still dealing with the fallout from injury. Arthur’s been out nine games with an ankle problem and won’t feature, while Martin Terrier’s hamstring injury rules him out too. It all means Patrik Schick will carry even more of the creative burden. The Czech striker been prolific lately and he needs to stay that way.
Bayern have fewer bodies missing. Serge Gnabry missed Stuttgart with a muscle issue and remains sidelined, as do Tom Bischoff, Lennart Karl and Sven Ulreich. Harry Kane, having already notched 50 competitive goals this season, leads the line again.
Odds and Tips
Look, Leverkusen aren’t without a chance here. Their cup record is solid, the BayArena will be rocking, and Bayern have shown they can slip up. But Bayern’s form is too hot to ignore. They’re scoring for fun and seem to have an answer for everything right now.
Tip: Bayern München to win at 1.60.
Don’t forget that we also have Early Payout on this match, which you can read more about here.
Please note that the odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
Last Updated: 22.04.2026
