Saarbrücken vs Leverkusen is live in 87 countries on June 9, 2020: here's how to watch it

Topics: TV Schedules, Saarbrücken, Bayer Leverkusen, DFB-Pokal

The first DFB-Pokal semi final featuring Saarbrücken vs Bayer Leverkusen kicks off on June 9th. Live Soccer TV's match preview provides all you need to know ahead of the clash between lower-tier side Saarbrücken as they hope to upset Bayer Leverkusen.

Preview: Saarbrücken vs Bayer Leverkusen

Regionalliga Südwest side Saarbrücken have made history by becoming the first ever fourth division team to make it to the final four of the DFB-Pokal thanks to their win over Fortuna Dusseldorf back in March. It wasn't easy, as the game went to extra time and then a grueling penalty shootout, and now the minnows will be hoping to go one step further and see off Bayer Leverkusen to book what would be a shock ticket to this year's finals. In all honesty, no one expected to see Saarbrücken get this far. Their journey started on August 11, 2019 in the first round of this competition, when they took on fellow lower-tier side Jahn Regensburg and won that game 3-2.

Then it was onto the second round, which was played on October 29, 2019, where they faced their first Bundesliga foe in Köln, and again defeated their opponents by a score-line of 3-2. While that was impressive in itself, it didn't really make that many waves per se as Köln have had their issues and notably were relegated to the 2.Bundesliga as recently as the 2018/2019 season. Thus, seeing them end up lose to a fourth-division side, although it was somewhat surprising, it wasn't exactly earth-shattering, either.

Thanks to their win over Köln, Saarbrücken were given a more "favorable" draw in the round of 16, avoiding teams like Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig - all of whom very likely could have ended their run in a flash. Rather, they were paired off with an opponent whom they certainly were more comfortable with: newly promoted 2.Bundesliga side Karlsruher, who had been featuring in the 3.Liga only the prior season. Like Saarbrücken, Karlsruher were also hoping to quietly sneak into the quarter-finals after managing to avoid tougher opponents, and not surprisingly, the clash between the two minnows was an even contest, finishing as a scoreless draw that had to be decided on spot-kicks.

Saarbrücken came out on top and again had to use spot-kicks to see off Fortuna Dusseldorf in order to earn a ticket to the semi-finals, where they now will have to take on what will definitely be their biggest challenger yet: Bayer Leverkusen. Currently, Gillian Jurcher is Saarbrücken's top goalscorer in this competition, with three goals to his name, and the team will be hoping he can help them in this Herculean endeavor when Leverkusen come to town on Tuesday. Another key player for them is shot-stopper Daniel Batz, who saved five spot-kicks during the penalty shoot-out against Fortuna Dusseldorf, and it goes without saying he will have to have a fantastic game to keep his side in the contest against Leverkusen.

The hosts also have something to celebrate - as their season has been cancelled due to COVID-19, Lukas Kwasniok's men have been promoted to the third tier as automatic champions of their division. That being said, they haven't played a competitive fixture since March 7th and the lack of live game-time could really put them at a huge disadvantage.

As for Leverkusen, they come into this game off the back of a loss. In fact, the visitors have lost two of their last three Bundesliga games, a frustrating fact as they continue to battle with the likes of Borussia Moenchengladbach and RB Leipzig for a top four berth that would guarantee them Champions League football for next season. They had to make do without key attacker Kai Havertz during their 4-2 defeat to Bayern Munich last weekend as a result of the young star's injury, and unfortunately, he will not be available here.

However, unlike Saarbrücken, Leverkusen have obviously been getting plenty of game-time under their belts as the Bundesliga is back in full swing. The absence of Havertz is a major issue, but Peter Bosz will have to adjust. It's likely that 17-year-old youngster Florian Wirtz could get a start here after making history as the youngest ever goal-scorer in Bundesliga history following his goal against Bayern over the weekend.

Team news: Saarbrücken vs Bayer Leverkusen

Saarbrücken: The hosts have a clean bill of health, so can field their strongest starting XI here.

Leverkusen: The visitors have been dealt a huge blow with Kai Havertz having to miss this game due to injury. In addition, skipper Lars Bender is still out as a result of a foot injury.

Match facts: Saarbrücken vs Bayer Leverkusen

Saarbrücken are the first team from the fourth tier to reach the semi-finals of the DFB Cup...
...curiously, they have previously reached the final four three times, losing on each occasion to the eventual champions, so does that mean if they lose to Leverkusen, Die Werkself will eventually win it?
Leverkusen have never lost in 25 cup ties against teams from the fourth tier or below
Their sole DFB-Pokal win came in 1993