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German Cup kicks off

André LeslieAugust 15, 2014

It's on again: this year's German Cup is starting up this weekend with 32 matches across the country. But, will it be the same old suspects winning? Or could some lesser-known teams steal the headlines?

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The German Cup trophy is held aloft by a player
Image: Reuters

Not long after Bayern Munich's Supercup defeat to Borussia Dortmund earlier this week, Robert Lewandowski was thinking aloud about the future with his new team. "I really hope that the next game will go much better."

To be honest, it probably should go much better too. After all, Bayern's next game isn't against any battle-hardened Bundesliga team fighting for points, it's against third-division minnows Preussen Münster in the German Cup. Half a century ago, this little-known club was a founding member of the Bundesliga, but only played one season in the top flight.

In fact, the current market value of the Münster squad is estimated at just 5.4 million euros ($7.22 million). That might sound not too bad, but bear in mind that it represents pretty much exactly one percent of the value of Bayern Munich's cast of superstars.

Only the most pessimistic Bayern fan (or maybe the most optimistic Dortmund supporter) would tip a win for Münster over Bayern this Sunday. But, if you consider Bayern's current injury worries, a win for the outsiders is not quite beyond the realms of possibility. And it's that possibility which local football fans love so much about the German Cup: it's always good for an upset.

Bayern Munich celebrate last season's German Cup win
Bayern Munich have won the German Cup a record 17 times in their club historyImage: Reuters

Surprises a must

Known in Germany as the DFB Pokal, Germany's main knockout competition involves 64 teams in the first round. Every Bundesliga team and most of those in the second-tier 2. Bundesliga get a bye to the first round proper. Another 32 teams from the second tier and lower reach the competition via the qualifying stages. In the first round, all of the qualifiers are guaranteed a home game - against one of the seeded giants.

It's designed as a chance for smaller clubs to match up against the professionals for a day, for small stadiums to get filled to the rafters - by paying punters - as the big teams come to play. This format means that the cup's first round is usually good for an upset or two, especially considering that it takes place right at the start of the season, when many Bundesliga giants are still seeking their rhythm.

One of the biggest upsets in German Cup first-round history was TSV Vestenbergsgreuth's 1-0 win over reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in 1994. The small team progressed on to the third round; but just a few years later, the Bayern-killing club had ceased to exist.

RB Leipzig player in the team's 4-1 win over Havelse
RB Leipzig would like to use the German Cup to show how far they are progressing as a clubImage: picture-alliance/ZB

Teams to watch

"Minnows" RB Leipzig might be newcomers to the 2. Bundesliga, but they're definitely capable of some surprises in the German Cup. The club, owned by billionaire Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz, is hoping for fast-track promotion to the Bundesliga. New off-season signings like 20-year-old Croatian international Ante Rebic and former Hoffenheim defender Marvin Compper, who pulled on the German national shirt for one game, display both RB Leipzig's ambition, and budget. Their opponents in the first round, newly-promoted Bundesliga side SC Paderborn, would likely trade fiscal places with the "underdogs."

"Paderborn in the German Cup is a good draw," said Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick on the club's website. "It is always good, when you face an opponent that doesn't play in the same league as you."

Another team on the hunt for an upset will be Eintracht Trier. The team from Germany's southwest regional league is responsible for some of the biggest upsets in German Cup history. Over the years they've beaten Schalke, Dortmund and Hanover and even managed to make it to the semi finals. Their match against top-flight Freiburg on Sunday could prove a close one.

Whether the Stuttgarter Kickers can really provide a test to Dortmund on the same day, is hard to say. The Kickers have started well enough in the third division this season but against the freshly-crowned Supercup winners, they'll have to be at the top of their game. After all, Dortmund have been particularly strong in the German Cup the last few years. BVB won the competition in 2012 and lost last season in the final to a determined Bayern.

Robin Dutt watches on in a Bremen versus Mönchengladbach fixture
Not again: Robin Dutt hopes his side won't slip up in the first round for the fourth time in a rowImage: picture-alliance/dpa

Wobbly top-flighters

In contrast, there are a handful of Bundesliga teams that have really been struggling in the German Cup over recent years, and that could continue again this time round. Hertha Berlin remains a strong candidate for a first round departure. On Saturday they'll take on Cologne club Viktoria Köln.

Last season Berlin only won their first round match in extra time and then lost to Kaiserslautern in the second round. In 2012, Hertha lost 2-1 in the first round to the brilliantly-named Wormatia Worms.

Werder Bremen used to be a strong German Cup contender, regularly appearing in the final. But in the last three years the club hasn't progressed past the first round.

"We can't deny that pressure is there - but we will be able to cope with it," Bremen coach Robin Dutt assured journalists at a press conference ahead of his team's match at FV Illertissen. "There's no reason to give a fourth-division side less respect than a Bundesliga team."

Exactly. And that's what the fans so love about the German Cup.