The final domestic match of the season in Germany will take place in the capital city on Saturday, as Bayer Leverkusen could win their third major honour of a memorable season under Xabi Alonso. The reigning Bundesliga champions will be heavy favourites in the betting when they come up against second-tier side Kaiserslautern.
DFB Pokal Preview
A memorable 2023-24 season comes to its conclusion for Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, as they could win a domestic double. They could also be within one victory of winning the treble should they claim a midweek success over Atalanta in the final of the Europa League.
Leverkusen have smashed records throughout the season, and they are still yet to lose a competitive fixture across all competitions this term. The German side won their first major trophy since 1993 last month after wrapping up the Bundesliga title, and they have already exceeded the record for most competitive matches without a defeat.
That unbeaten sequence has come under threat over the last two months, but they have scored 34 goals in the 80th minute or later. In the DFB Pokal, they have been extremely dominant, scoring a staggering 23 goals across their five matches. Their toughest challenge came in the quarterfinals after edging to a 3-2 win over Stuttgart.
Interestingly, Kaiserslautern have a better overall record in the DFB Pokal after winning the title on two previous occasions, and reaching the final on five further occasions. However, their most recent appearance in the final came back in 2002-03 when they were beaten by Bayern Munich.
But, this has been a difficult season for Kaiserslautern, as they haven’t threatened to get close to promotion in the second tier. Overall, they finished 14th in the standings, as they have struggled in the final third throughout the campaign.
But, they have caused some major shocks on their way to the final in the DFB Pokal, eliminating FC Cologne in the second round, before getting the better of Nurnberg and Hertha Berlin in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively.
Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen Head to Head
Leverkusen boasts a dominant record against their rivals ahead of the domestic cup final this weekend. They have won five of the last six meetings between the teams, which includes a 2-0 success in the most recent fixture between the sides in March 2015.
Kaiserslautern’s only win against Leverkusen since the start of 2010 was achieved in the DFB Pokal, but it was picked up back in February 2014. Over the last six matches between the teams, Leverkusen have averaged 1.8 goals per game, while Kaiserslautern have averaged just 0.5.
Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen Team News
Leverkusen have been hugely fortunate with injuries throughout the season, and that is evident once again this weekend, as Xabi Alonso will have no injury concerns to contend with when naming his preferred starting eleven. Kaiserslautern will be without a number of key players.
Ragnar Ache has scored eleven goals in 22 games this term, but is a doubt due to personal issues. Jan Elvedi is also set to miss out, despite playing 33 times this term. Ben Zolinski, Julian Niehues, and Hendrick Zuck are all also unavailable for the underdogs this weekend.
Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction
Just one game stands in the way of Leverkusen and potential immortality in 2023-24. The fact that Alonso has a fully fit squad to select from this weekend is key, and that makes Leverkusen as close to a sure-thing as possible.
We don’t expect the Bundesliga champions to encounter many issues on Saturday, and we could see them landing DFB Pokal glory by a three-goal margin.
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