Atmospheric alpine pasture, floodlight game and an euphoric outsider as an opponent – Bayer Leverkusen warns in the game at Arminia Bielefeld.
Despite two class differences, Bayer Leverkusen’s coach Xabi Alonso awaits a difficult one DFB Cup-semi -finals in third division club Arminia Bielefeld. “We go to Bielefeld with a lot of respect. You have beaten three Bundesliga teams. We expect a very, very hard opponent and know that the trophy is a bit more crazy competition,” said Alonso before the duel on Tuesday (01.04.2025).
“It’s an all-or-not game. We’ll go full throttle,” emphasized the Spaniard. The trophy is always very special and write its own stories. “We know that we can play the final, that’s what it is against Arminia,” emphasized the 43-year-old. He had heard a lot about the atmosphere on the Bielefeld Alm and is expecting a “top mood”.
Tah: “Extremely challenging”
For national players Jonathan Tah alone, the entry into the final counts. “It’s about winning the game. If it is not possible to deliver the most beautiful, wonderful football game to look at, then it has to be different,” said the defender on the German homepage football-Bund (DFB) in an interview.
Despite and because of the favorite role of the Rhenish Cup defender on the Alm, Tah does not consider the classic “David against Goliath” duel to be a sure-fire success. The guest performance at the East Westphalia is “extremely challenging,” said the 29-year-old: “You shouldn’t underestimate which power these teams have, especially at home. For the Arminia, it is probably the game of the season. It can be very dangerous if you do not focus fully and and with the necessary seriousness.”
“Berlin is something extraordinary”
However, the view of the cup victory is absolutely sufficient as a motivation according to the native of Hamburg. “A triumph in Berlin,” remembers Tah of Bayer’s final success in 2024, “is something completely unusual. The feeling of playing and winning the final in the Olympic Stadium is something very special. You can’t compare that with any other title. The atmosphere before the game is unique. There is pure football love. That’s why you really want to go there.”
After a rather moderate start of the season, Tah now sees his team in a similar constitution as a year ago. “We have increased and are now at the level again to win titles. However, I never felt that we would have fallen into a hole. The games were not quite as easy, but we then worked into the flow again,” he said.
Tella probably back, Wirtz and Tapsoba are doing better
Personnel could again be an option for the defending champion’s squad. The outdoor car player, who has been laboratory in muscular problems for more than two weeks, is “much better”, says Alonso. “We are training now, but if there are no problems, he’s in the squad.”
The coach left open whether, as before in the Matej Kovar Cup, instead of Lukas Hradecky will be in goal. For Edmond Tapsoba and Florian Wirtz, the game with the third division team comes too early. Alonso stated that both are better, but they are not there. Central defender Tapsoba is struggling for a thigh injury, playmaker Wirtz exposes with an inner ligament injury.
