An unusual scenario took place before the semi-finals of the German Cup. Two second-division teams, one third-division team and the still-undefeated leader of the Bundesliga found themselves in the fight for the trophy. On Tuesday, Kaiserslautern confirmed their ticket to the finals via the third division Saarbrücken, and the big favorite to join them in Berlin are Bayer Leverkusen, who welcome Fortuna Dusseldorf tonight (9.45 PM EAT).Runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen have been a hit this season. The Pharmacists have not yet lost in a competitive game in the current campaign under coach Xabi Alonso, and it does not seem realistic that the visitors, who dwell in the second tier, will manage to end that fantastic streak and qualify for the finals.Alonso’s squad have been near-perfect in 39 matches in all competitions, picking up 34 wins in that period. Leverkusen came close to defeat on a number of occasions in recent weeks, but were able to turn things around in the finish to keep the run going, a testament to the resilience of the squad.The Story so far… 🏆⚫️🔴#B04F95 | #Bayer04 #Werkself #DFBPokal pic.twitter.com/qCtbMUhf8e— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) April 3, 2024 Bayer had the last such duel in the previous round of the Bundesliga against Hoffenheim, when they entered the final minutes of the match with a 1-0 deficit. However, goals from Robert Andrich and Patrik Schick in the final moments meant that Alonso’s team saved their lives and recorded another triumph.With the Bundesliga title looking like a foregone conclusion, and a place in the Europa League quarter-finals already secured thanks to another winner from Schick, Leverkusen could still go for the treble at the end of the season.Werkself go into the match against Fortuna as favourites, but the DFB-Pokal has produced plenty of big upsets this season, none less than Bayern Munich’s loss to semi-finalists Saarbrücken.Winning mentality galore! Leverkusen turn the score in the last four minutesWhile the Dusseldorf team will understand the magnitude of the task ahead, they will rely on another David vs. Goliath scenario in this semi-final. If they manage to perform that unlikely feat, coach Daniel Thioune’s team would secure the Bundesliga 2 final showdown.The visitors from Dusseldorf are enjoying a good season in the second division and currently sit in third place and are still in the hunt for automatic promotion to return to the German top flight for the first time since the 2019/2020 season.It has been 44 years since Fortuna won their second DFB-Pokal trophy in 1980, while Leverkusen only topped the competition once in 1993.DFB POKAL – German CupSemifinalsTuesdaySaarbrucken – K’lautern 0-2 (0-0)/Ritter 53, Toure 75/Wednesday21:45: (1.17) Leverkusen (8.00) Fortuna Dusseldorf (14.0)***odds are subject to change***
