Home game against second division teams
Bayer Leverkusen is lucky in the DFB Cup
February 11, 2024, 12:35 a.m
Top favorite Bayer Leverkusen has a supposedly easy task in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup. Around three hours after the exhilarating 3-0 win over FC Bayern in the top Bundesliga game, successful coach Xabi Alonso’s team was drawn against second division team Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Three hours after the gala in the top game of the Bundesliga (3-0) against Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen also had luck in the DFB Cup. The Bundesliga leaders will face second division team Fortuna Düsseldorf in a home game in the semi-finals. This was the result of the draw in the ZDF “Sportstudio”.
In the second semi-final, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and the winner of the catch-up game between 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Mönchengladbach face each other. If the Saarlanders prevail, they would have home advantage as a lower-class club against Kaiserslautern. The semi-finals will take place on April 2nd and 3rd, the final is scheduled for May 25th in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
Saarbrücken and Gladbach were in the draw as double draws because the quarter-final game last Wednesday had to be postponed due to the pitch in the Ludwigsparkstadion being unplayable after heavy rain. The game will be rescheduled for March 12th.
As a gym guest, Düsseldorf’s coach Daniel Thioune reacted to his strongest opponent with unmistakable irony. “Yes, it was our wish.” But they will “look for” the Leverkusen team’s weak points, he said: “We want to compete with the best, and at the moment it is the best team.”