The first round of the DFB Cup features several duels in which the favorites could be eliminated. Eight Bundesliga clubs in particular will have a hard time.
For the Bundesliga teams, the new season begins with the first round of the DFB Cup. Uncertainty after preparation becomes certainty. How strong are the teams from the starting blocks? How much advantage do the lower division clubs have because they have already played their first competitive games? Also because of this fact, there are some games in which the Bundesliga teams are threatened with early failure.
Dynamo Dresden vs VfB Stuttgart (Friday, 6 p.m.)
There wasn’t that much missing, and these two clubs would also meet in everyday league life. Thanks to a last-minute goal on the last matchday, Stuttgart managed to stay up in the Bundesliga, Dresden lost to 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the relegation and was relegated to the 3rd division.
There Dynamo made a false start under the new coach Markus Anfang, losing the start 3: 4 against 1860 Munich in their own arena. Exactly that is the big plus of the Dresdeners, the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion becomes a witch’s cauldron with a number of spectators of about 20,000. “We’ll do everything we can to play a good game. If we can withstand the pressure from Stuttgart for a long time, anything is possible from the back,” said Beginning.
TSV 1860 Munich vs Borussia Dortmund (Friday, 8:45 p.m.)
With the victory in Dresden, the Munich “Lions” set a first exclamation mark in the 3rd division. The former German champion is considered one of the big favorites for promotion and proved this impressively on the first day of the game. Above all, the offensive around striker Marcel Bär, who scored twice in Dresden, is in very good early form.
An enormously difficult task awaits BVB in the stadium on Grünwalder Straße. Edin Terzic will field a starting eleven there with a large number of newcomers, which will still need an adjustment phase. In addition, due to the absence of Sébastien Haller (testicle tumor), the situation in the storm is problematic, as there is no real replacement for the offensive center.
SSV Jahn Regensburg vs. 1. FC Köln (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.)
Already at the draw it was clear that the people of Cologne were not exactly lucky. With Regensburg, the Bundesliga club got the best-placed team from the pot, which also includes four second division clubs in addition to the 60 third division and amateur clubs. As the 15th place in the past season, Regensburg was the last team to have a home advantage in the first round.
The start of the new season made the situation even worse. Der Jahn got off to a perfect start with two wins and a goal difference of 5:0 and is currently the leader of the second division. So while coach Mersad Selimbegovic’s team is in top form, Cologne is facing a start full of unknowns. The biggest problem is the still unclear future of goalscorer Anthony Modeste.
In this case, the home team could even be the favourite. At least the chances are far higher than what Selimbegovic said. “If so, then 0.01 percent,” said the Regensburg coach.
1. FC Kaiserslautern vs. SC Freiburg (Sunday, 3.30 p.m.)
The euphoria on the Betzenberg continues to rise. Only with the successful relegation against Dresden did they get promoted to the 2nd league and there they got off to a surprisingly good start with four points from the first two games. Above all, their own stadium is completely behind their own team, where there was a 2-1 win against promotion candidates Hannover 96 in the first game of the new season.
“I don’t think there was a more difficult draw in the first round,” said Freiburg international Christian Günter. “They have been promoted to the second division. I think the stadium will be full. That’s a blast to start with.”
Nevertheless, according to Günter, the cup finalist from the previous season is “armed” for the game. “We’ve had good preparation, worked hard and are looking forward to the game.”
Eintracht Braunschweig vs. Hertha BSC (Sunday, 6 p.m.)
Second division promoted against almost relegated – in this constellation there is also a close approximation of the favorite roles. Braunschweig didn’t have a good start to the season and is still pointless and goalless after two games, but Lower Saxony showed not too long ago that they can hold their own against Berlin.
Only two years ago, the Braunschweig team managed to surprise Hertha BSC, winning as a third division team in a spectacular game 5:4. The team of new coach Sandro Schwarz, who took over from Felix Magath in Berlin after the successful relegation, is about to start again. After two extremely disappointing years with a relegation battle despite major investments, the capital city hope for a turnaround. Braunschweig is the first real touchstone.
Erzgebirge Aue vs. 1. FSV Mainz 05 (Sunday, 6 p.m.)
The Rheinhessen have always struggled in the first round of the cup. Last season, Mainz saved the penalty shoot-out at SV Elversberg (8:7 nE) from being eliminated early on, before that TV Havelse (5:1) needed a huge revolt after being behind at half-time after the opening failure in Kaiserslautern a year earlier (0 :2).
With Aue, Mainz is now expecting a lot that again has the potential for a challenging to unsuccessful evening. Games when relegated to the 3rd division are generally considered unpleasant, especially since the Bundesliga club itself has to struggle with some problems. Coach Bo Svensson recently emphasized that some individual players and the processes in the team “are not where they should be at the moment”. Aue wants to take advantage of that.
Energie Cottbus vs. Werder Bremen (Monday, 6 p.m.)
Getting FC Energie out of the first round is always an unpleasant task, as a look at the results of the past few years shows. Even FC Bayern struggled in the 3-1 win in Lausitz about a year ago. Cottbus were also eliminated from the start in previous years, but three times on penalties (against Freiburg, Stuttgart and Hamburger SV).
For Bremen it could also be a question of patience and strength. “We know that a very ambitious regional league team is waiting for us,” said Werder coach Ole Werner. “It’s the first round of the DFB Cup and you know that every year higher-class teams have their problems with lower-class opponents – and sometimes even fail. In this respect we have been warned.” Especially since Bremen has recently been affected more often. Werder have been eliminated in the first round five times in the past eleven years.
1. FC Magdeburg vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (Monday, 8:45 p.m.)
The promoted team suffered their first home defeat since September 2021 at the start of the second division against Fortuna Düsseldorf (1: 2). No more should follow against the Europa League winner Frankfurt. It certainly helps that Magdeburg was able to keep up the promotion euphoria with a 3-2 win in Karlsruhe. A corresponding atmosphere will prevail in the stadium.
“Anything is possible. It’s a great opportunity to show what you’re capable of. We know what we’re capable of and what we want to achieve. We’ll give our all, step on the gas and try to stand up to our opponents,” said midfielder Moritz Broni-Kwarteng.
Source: sportschau.de