Xabi Alonso's seemingly unstoppable Bayer Leverkusen are set to travel to Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld on Wednesday, where they will take on fourth-tier side Carl Zeiss Jena in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. The home team have made an excellent start in 2024-25, and are first with 15 points from five games in the Regionalliga Northeast division, while the visitors are fourth with three points from one game in the Bundesliga.

The hosts were relegated to the fourth tier of German football at the end of 2019-20, and after narrowly missing out on promotion in 2021-22 and 2022-23, they will hope to finish first and claim the division's only promotion spot this campaign. After just five games, Carl Zeiss Jena are already four points clear of second-placed Lokomotive Leipzig and are also the league's top scorers, having netted 17 times. FCC have only kept one clean sheet in their five league games so far, although they have only conceded the first goal once. Manager Henning Burger's side won 4-1 last time out against Plauen on August 24, and have won 10 and drawn four of their last 14 competitive matches. However, Burger will be aware that his team have failed to progress from 10 of their last 11 ties in the DFB-Pokal.

Opponents Bayer Leverkusen come into the clash off the back of a thrilling victory in their opening Bundesliga game of the season against Borussia Monchengladbach on August 23. Alonso's side had taken a two-goal lead in the first half thanks to goals from Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz, but Nico Elvedi halved Die Fohlen's deficit in the 59th minute, before Tim Kleindienst levelled the scoreline on the 85th minute. It seemed as if Leverkusen would begin their title defence with a disappointing draw, but in typical fashion, Die Schwarzroten and Wirtz managed to find a winner in the 11th minute of stoppage time.

While the visitors have not performed as well as they could have in either their Bundesliga opener or the German Super Cup final against Stuttgart on August 17, Alonso will take confidence from the fact his side have continued to display their resilience in difficult moments. In 2023-24, Leverkusen won the DFB-Pokal after beating second-tier side Kaiserslautern 1-0 in the final on May 25. Die Schwarzroten have also progressed from 20 of their last 24 away matches in the competition, including their three most recent games on the road.

Jena's Injury Concerns

Carl Zeiss Jena will be without Maurice Hehne, Marcel Hoppe, Elias Loder, Justin Petermann and Justin Smyla. The hosts could name a similar lineup to the one that beat Plauen last time out, so expect goalkeeper Marius Liesegang to be shielded by a defence of Nils Butzen, Soren-Kurt Reddemann, Khalid Abu El Haija and Paul Kramer.

Leverkusen's Lineup Changes

As for the visitors, Alonso is certain to make a number of changes, with the likes of Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Piero Hincapie all potentially dropping out of the side that beat Borussia Monchengladbach. However, Leverkusen will not be able to select Viktor Boniface, Odilon Kossounou or Martin Terrier due to suspension, while Exequiel Palacios is out because of a knee injury.

Potential Starting Lineups

Carl Zeiss Jena possible starting lineup:Liesegang; Butzen, El Haija, Reddemann, Kramer; Gipson, Muqaj, Schau, Richter; Weinhauer, Sezer

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Belocian; Tella, Andrich, Garcia, Arthur; Hofmann, Adli; Schick

A Clear Favourite

Regardless of the changes that Leverkusen make, their squad is strong enough to overcome their fourth-tier opponents, and they should be clear favourites in Wednesday's clash. Having said that, given Carl Zeiss Jena's good attacking displays this season so far, it would not be surprising if they created chances against the Bundesliga champions.

Leverkusen's Recent Success

Bayer Leverkusen begin the defence of their DFB Cup title with a trip to fourth-tier Carl Zeiss Jena on Wednesday (kick-off: 6pm CEST). Jena are faced with the daunting task of doing what German teams before them have tried and failed to on 42 occasions, namely inflict defeat on Leverkusen. That being said, few teams in the country boast the form they do, having won all five of their games so far this season to sit top of the fourth-tier Regionalliga Nordost. Henning Bürger’s side ran out 4-1 winners at Plauen on Saturday, with Erik Weinhauser bagging a brace to take his season tally to 10. He got half of those in a 6-2 victory over Hertha Zehlendorf earlier this month. The four-time East German champions' form hasn’t been affected by lengthy injuries to striker Elias Löder and midfielder Justin Petermann, but how will they fare against the holders as they look to end a run of six straight first-round eliminations?

Leverkusen's Dominance

Leverkusen famously swept aside all domestic challengers last season to win a maiden Bundesliga title and first double in their history. May 2023 was the last time Xabi Alonso’s men lost to German opposition, while they have already added the Supercup to their trophy haul under the Spaniard thanks to a shootout success over VfB Stuttgart. Die Werkself also got their Bundesliga title defence off to a winning start last Friday with a dramatic 3-2 victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach, where Florian Wirtz continued their 2023/24 habit of scoring late goals, this time in the 101st minute. He's among the wholesale changes for the trip to the ad hoc Arena im Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld, with Álex Grimaldo and Granit Xhaka also dropping to the bench. Cup goalkeeper Matěj Kovář is among the six players cycled in. New signing Martin Terrier, striker Victor Boniface and defender Odilon Kossounou all serve suspensions.

Match Preview

Bayer Leverkusen get their DFB Pokal title defense underway when they visit the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld to face amateur side Jena on Wednesday. Henning Burger’s men head into the midweek clash fresh off the back of an emphatic league victory over Plauen and will look to cause the biggest upset of the opening round. Jena maintained their impressive early-season form as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Plauen in the Regionalliga Northeast last Saturday. Burger’s side have now made it five wins from five to start the new campaign, a run which has seen them surge to the top of the league table. Jena will look to pick up where they left off at the weekend as they face the daunting challenge of taking on the German champions in the DFB Pokal on Wednesday. Elsewhere, a 12th-minute belter from Granit Xhaka and a brace from Florian Wirtz inspired Bayer Leverkusen to a 3-2 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in the 2024-25 Bundesliga opener last Friday. Prior to that, Xabi Alonso’s men clinched the German Super Cup courtesy of a penalty-shootout victory over Stuttgart following a 2-2 stalemate in normal time on August 17. Having won the league double last season, Leverkusen will be looking to begin their DFB Pokal defense on a high on Wednesday as they eye back-to-back cup triumphs. Bayer Leverkusen had to dig deep to secure all three points in last week’s Bundesliga opener and will head into Wednesday’s clash with sky-high confidence. While Jena will be looking to show their mettle against the German champions, we predict Alonso’s side will come away with a comfortable victory.

Prediction and Tips

Prediction: Jena 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen

Tip 1: Result - Bayer Leverkusen to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in five of Leverkusen’s last six matches)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in five of the visitors’ last six games)

Key Match Stats

CONFIRMED teams

Jena: Dedidis - Butzen (c), El Haija, Reddemann, Krämer - Schau, Gipson, Muqaj, Richter - Sezer, Weinhauer

Subs: Liesegang, Hessel, Kampe, Werner, Prokopenko, Seidemann, Zank Out: Hehne (knee), Hoppe (adductor), Löder (ankle), Petermann (knee), Smyla (ankle) Coach: Henning Bürger

Leverkusen: Kovář - Tapsoba, Tah (c), Belocian - Tella, Andrich, Garcia, Arthur - Hofmann, Adli - Schick

Subs: Lomb, Hincapié, Wirtz, Grimaldo, Stepanov, Frimpong, Raterink, Xhaka, Onyeka  Out: Boniface (suspended), Hrádecký (ill), Kossounou (suspended), Palacios (knee), Terrier (suspended) Coach: Xabi Alonso