Kaiserslautern vs Bayer Leverkusen

Olympiastadion sets the stage for the 2023/24 DFB-Pokal final between minnows Kaiserslautern and German champions Bayer Leverkusen.

It’s been a season of contradictions for Kaiserslautern. Despite finishing only seven points clear of the 2. Bundesliga relegation territory, they’ve earned a shot at DFB-Pokal glory against the odds, overcoming just one top-flight opposition en route to the final. Keen to impress in their first cup final since 2003, Friedhelm Funkel’s men must punch above their weight to become the first second-tier side to hoist the DFB-Pokal title since Hannover in 1991/92. Though Funkel is no stranger to meeting Leverkusen as a coach, with this being his 35th touchline encounter against the new Bundesliga champions, his personal record against them spells trouble (W6, D8, L20). On the bright side, Kaiserslautern closed an underwhelming 2. Bundesliga campaign on a high, racking up three wins in their last four matches (L1) in the build-up to the Olympiastadion showpiece. 

In the meantime, Bayer Leverkusen conquered the Bundesliga in unprecedented fashion, becoming the first side in the competition’s history to lift the title without losing a single game (W28, D6). That record formed part of a historic 51-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, which ended abruptly in the midweek Europa League final. Xabi Alonso’s men slumped to a dismal 3-0 loss to Atalanta. But more history is still on the cards, with Die Werkself bidding to become the first side in German football history to win a domestic double unbeaten. Anything other than Leverkusen’s first DFB-Pokal triumph since 1993 would be an epic surprise, not least because of their outrageous 39-match unbeaten run in domestic action (W33, D6).