Hoping to bolster their impressive campaign with a cup run, Bayer Leverkusen will welcome the 2. Bundesliga's Nuremberg to BayArena for a showdown in the DFB-Pokal's second round on Wednesday.

Die Werkself are aiming to bounce back from defeat last time out, while Die Legende are looking for a first win in four games despite arriving as underdogs.

Match preview

Since making their false start in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with under Carles Martinez Novell.

Die Werkself were downed 3-2 by Elversberg in their top-flight opener, and it would be fair to say that suffering humiliation against a promoted opponent is far from the ideal way to introduce a new manager.

However, Martinez Novell's side followed that up with an eight-game undefeated run across all competitions, including a six-match winning streak that featured four clean sheets.

That impressive stretch was brought to an end on Sunday, when Leverkusen were surprisingly beaten 3-0 by Hoffenheim on the road, failing to respond to a flurry of late goals from Die Kraichgauer.

Keen to get back on track in midweek, Die Werkself will be hoping for a repeat of their first-round DFB-Pokal triumph over Wehen Wiesbaden, which saw the top-flight club run out deserving 4-0 winners on August 22.

Meanwhile, Miroslav Klose's Nuremberg have shown a similar level of resilience to their opponents this season, and will certainly pose a challenge for their hosts on Wednesday.

Die Legende began their campaign with a nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions, winning six times in the process.

Much like Leverkusen, Klose's side saw their streak come crashing down this past weekend, when they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Kaiserslautern.

Regardless, Nuremberg remain second in the 2. Bundesliga and firmly in the hunt for promotion, and as one of the strongest clubs in the division, they will be excited for the chance to show their strength.

That being said, the visitors only scraped through 5-4 on penalties against Viktoria Koln after a 1-1 stalemate in the DFB-Pokal's first round, and without a win in three matches - a spell that goes back to mid-September - fans will be harbouring doubts. 

Bayer Leverkusen DFB-Pokal form:

Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

Nuremberg DFB-Pokal form:

Nuremberg form (all competitions):

Team News

Leverkusen will be without Moussa Diaby and Martin Terrier due to respective hamstring injuries, while winger Eliesse Ben Seghir has a muscle issue and striker Christian Kofane is dealing with a thigh problem.

In their absence, Ibrahim Maza could shift over to the left, with Malik Tillman joining the XI as a number 10, and Nathan Tella operating on the right behind striker Patrik Schick.

Elsewhere, 17-year-old defensive midfielder Kennet Eichhorn is working his way back to full fitness after his metabolic disorder stabilised, so Ezequiel Fernandez and Aleix Garcia may continue in the hosts' double pivot.

Right-back options Montrell Culbreath and Guela Doue are also sidelined with foot and calf injuries, though Jarell Quansah will be ready to start.

As for Nuremberg, they are lighter in defence than ideal, missing centre-back Mikayil Faye and left-back Kristian Mandic, while Finn Otto was forced off against Kaiserslautern, so Alexios Kalogeropoulos and Styopa Mkrtchyan could be joined by Tim Janisch and Eric Porstner in Klose's backline.

Elsewhere, midfielder Finn Becker is unavailable and left winger Mohamed Ali Zoma is recovering from a dislocated shoulder, though Adam Markhiev and Javier Fernandez should be on hand to start in the centre of the park, with Rayan Ghrieb and Rafael Lubach out wide.

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:

Blaswich; Quansah, Tapsoba, Medina, Gutierrez; Garcia, Fernandez; Tella, Tillman, Maza; Schick

Nuremberg possible starting lineup:

Reichert; Janish, Kalogeropoulos, Mkrtchyan, Porstner; Markhiev, Fernandez; Ghrieb, Justvan, Lubach; Scobel

We say: Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Nuremberg

Leverkusen may have come undone last time out, but they will be optimistic about returning to winning ways against lower-tier opposition.

Nuremberg are in the race for promotion from the 2. Bundesliga this season, and have proven resilient so far, yet it would be a shock to see them progress on Wednesday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.