Elversberg vs Bayer Leverkusen

Bundesliga powerhouse Bayer Leverkusen take a trip to the Waldstadion Kaiserlinde to take on lower-league side Elversberg in the DFB Pokal round one.

Elversberg’s utterly impressive 2021/22 Regionalliga Sudwest season earned them promotion to 3. Liga as they finished top of the table, three points clear of runners-up Ulm. Horst Steffen’s men have picked up where they left off, as witnessed by an overwhelming 5-1 win away to RW Essen in their 2022/22 curtain-raiser. While there’s a substantial gulf in quality between the sides, Elversberg’s outstanding 100% unbeaten ratio in competitive action in 2022 suggests they are no pushovers. Furthermore, they have won their last four home league matches by an aggregate score of 10-2. The odds may be stacked against them, but after scoring 2+ goals in seven of their eight home league outings in 2022, Elversberg will be confident about troubling the scoreboard here.

On the other hand, travelling Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed a phenomenal ending to the previous Bundesliga campaign, racking up a four-game winning league streak to seal a third-place finish and automatic Champions League qualification. Since falling to a 1-0 defeat to Toluca in their opening pre-season friendly, ‘Die Werkself’ have gone winless in three consecutive warm-up games (W2, D1), gathering momentum ahead of the new competitive season. Moreover, head coach Gerardo Seoane has kept hold of all standout performers, including Patrik Schick and Moussa Diaby, while acquiring the services of highly-rated Czech prodigy Adam Hlozek this summer. Leverkusen’s intimidating firepower up top, featuring the likes of Schick and Diaby, netted precisely four goals across their last two competitive travels.