Alonso wary of underestimating Elversberg: "They deserve the same respect as Liverpool"

The Bayer Leverkusen boss is expecting a tough test against the third-tier side in the DFB-Pokal

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso has warned his players not to underestimate fourth-tier side Elversberg in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday, saying they deserve the same respect as Premier League giants Liverpool.

Elversberg, who play in the Regionalliga Südwest, have enjoyed a remarkable run in the competition, beating Bundesliga 2 side Arminia Bielefeld and top-flight outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach to reach the last 16.

Alonso is taking nothing for granted, however, and has told his players to approach the game with the same level of focus and intensity as they would a match against one of Europe's top teams.

Alonso: "They deserve the same respect as Liverpool"

"Elversberg have shown that they are a very good team," Alonso said at a press conference on Tuesday. "They have beaten two Bundesliga teams already in this competition, so we know that they are capable of causing us problems.

"We need to be at our best to beat them. We need to show them the same respect that we would show to a team like Liverpool. If we do that, I am confident that we can win the game.

Leverkusen will be without injured midfielder Florian Wirtz for the match, but Alonso has a strong squad to choose from. The likes of Moussa Diaby, Jeremie Frimpong, and Patrik Schick are all expected to start.

Elversberg will be hoping to cause another upset, but they will need to be at their very best to beat a Leverkusen side that is full of quality.

Key stats

• Elversberg have won their last five matches in all competitions.
• Leverkusen have won four of their last five matches in all competitions.
• Elversberg have never reached the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal before.
• Leverkusen have won the DFB-Pokal five times, most recently in 2020.