Saarbrücken vs Bayer Leverkusen 10/06/20

10 June 2020

For the first time in the 21st century, Saarbrücken and Bayer Leverkusen will face-off against each other, as the two teams meet in the DFB Pokal semi-finals at the Hermann-Neuberger-Stadion this midweek.

Currently competing in Germany’s fourth-tier, the hosts enter this encounter as a considerable underdog, even though they eliminated another Bundesliga side from the competition in the previous round (Fortuna Dusseldorf on penalties). In order to reach the DFB Pokal semi-finals, the Saarland minnows have dumped four clubs from Germany’s top two divisions, with each of those fixtures ending separating the sides by under 1.5 goals. Curiously, four of their five matches in all competitions since the turn of the year have featured under 2.5 goals, with just one seeing both teams score, too. At home, Saarbrücken are unbeaten in 11 consecutive games across all competitions (W8, D3), shutting out their opponent on six of those occasions (90 minutes only).

On the other hand, three of Leverkusen’s four matches in the competition have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, with nine of total 13 goals (scored/conceded) across those clashes coming in the second half of play. In turn, the visitors have been an exciting team to watch recently, as four of their five competitive games in the post-pandemic period have featured at least four goals and witnessed both teams score. Peter Bosz’s men now head to Saarbrücken on a run of seven consecutive away matches without a loss in all competitions (W6, D1), with four of those six wins yielding a margin of at least two goals.