FC Bayern vs Leverkusen: Score prediction for DFB-Pokal round of 16 tie

Kim Min-Jae

The next individual I would like to highlight as a likely difference-maker for this one is one of my favorite defensive players in the world, Kim Min-Jae. Although a few injuries caused him to be a bit shaky on the defensive end last season, the ex-Napoli man showed how important he is for this team on Saturday against Die Schwarzgelben.

He was quite masterful in his ability to track back, make strong tackles, and then carry the ball forwards with his unique ability to go on mazy runs and create space for the attacking players on the field. I consider him to be one of the best center-backs in the world with the ball at his feet, and he showed in Bayern's most recent match how important it is for the team to allow him to control the tempo of the ball movement from the back.

Defensively, he uses his impressive mixture of strength and speed to be rock solid and pose a very difficult challenge for the likes of Patrik Schick, Alejandro Grimaldo, and even Jeremie Frimpong to get beyond. In this match, if he can be at his best and be extremely decisive like he was during his time at Napoli, it will be quite the difficult task to best him.