Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen: DFB Cup LIVE blog and team news
Just three days after their captivating Bundesliga meeting at the BayArena, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen do battle again for a place in the DFB Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday (kick-off 9pm CET).
Two magnificent headed goals helped Niko Kovač's charges triumph 2-1 at the BayArena on Saturday and leapfrog their opponents in the Bundesliga table, but Dortmund have come unstuck at home to Bayer on more than one occasion in recent seasons.
Die Werkself, who lifted the DFB Cup under Xabi Alonso in 2023/24, won 3-2 on their last visit to Signal Iduna Park back in January, while they also cruised to an impressive 5-2 victory over the five-time Pokal winners on Matchday 21 of the 2021/22 campaign.
Watch: Leverkusen 1-2 Dortmund - highlights
"Leverkusen have found their feet after initial difficulties," Kovač said ahead of Saturday's Bundesliga encounter. "[They are] a team that combine speed and directness with combination football. That's what makes them so unpredictable and difficult to play against."
Bayer needed extra-time to see off second-tier Paderborn to get to this stage of the tournament, and coach Kasper Hjulmand is expecting an even tougher task in the Round of 16.
"They are a top team, as they showed again [last] week in the UEFA Champions League against Villarreal," said the Danish tactician. "They are very structured and bring a high level of intensity. We want to put in another good performance, play our game, take the next step and get better and better."
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