Bayern on a verge of a record treble
Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 22.04.26. | 15:06
The German giant won trebles before but this one could be special
For years, it has been clear who the absolute “Kaiser” of German football is: Bayern Munich, a club of incredible power and a true football institution. Tonight, the team coached by Vincent Kompany—who secured another Bundesliga title last weekend—faces a tough away test in the German Cup semifinal against Bayer Leverkusen. The players from the Allianz Arena have a huge opportunity this season to win the treble—the league title is already secured, they are playing in the domestic cup semifinal tonight, and a two-legged clash with Paris Saint-Germain awaits them in the Champions League semifinal. Adding to that, Bayern’s women’s team also has a strong chance to achieve the same treble, which could lead to something never seen before: both the men’s and women’s teams of one club winning the treble in the same season.
Of course, it’s one thing to say it and another to achieve it on the pitch. Leverkusen are a familiar rival—last year, under Xabi Alonso, they knocked Bayern out in the Round of 16 of the German Cup (1–0). This season, Bayern won 3–0 in Munich, but the match on March 14 at BayArena ended 1–1. That was one of only three matches since the start of the year that Bayern failed to win—the others being a 2–2 draw away to Hamburger SV and a surprising 1–2 home defeat to FC Augsburg. All the rest were victories—19 of them. Interestingly, Kompany has never played in a German Cup final during his playing career. Perhaps he will finally reach one as a coach, having become the first Bayern manager since Pep Guardiola to reach 50 league wins so quickly.
“I’ve never played in a cup final, not even at Hamburg. There’s always a first time—I hope it’s this year. I have great respect for Leverkusen; everyone deserves to dream when they get this far. I’ll use my experience from finals in England and Belgium when the time comes” said the Bayern coach.
Bayern fans are certainly hoping their team will avenge last year’s elimination.
“This isn’t about revenge. We focus on what’s ahead, not what’s behind. Even though we’ve had success against them recently, including last season in the Champions League, this is a new story. None of us will underestimate the importance of the match. We believe in ourselves and know what to expect. I think this will be our eighth match against them in two years. They’ve changed coaches, but we know the players well. We’ve always had big battles against them” Kompany added. Leverkusen will be without Martin Terrier for the rest of the season due to a thigh injury. Forward Christian Kofane has the same issue, while Arthur is still recovering from knee ligament damage. As for Bayern, Serge Gnabry is out with an abductor injury. Lennart Karl, Tom Bischof, and goalkeeper Sven Ulreich are also unavailable, while Jamal Musiala returns to the squad after recovery.
DFB POKAL SEMIFINALS
Wednesday
21.45: (4.80) Leverkusen (5.00) Bayern (1.60)
Thursday
21.45: (1.65) Stuttgart (4.10) Freiburg (4.90)
* odds are subject to change