The DFB Pokal kicks off in earnest on Friday. Last year witnessed some incredible upsets in the first round- how many upsets will we see this time around?
Augsburg is the only Bundesliga side to take to the pitch on Friday. Most of the Bundesliga sides will be in action on the 18th and 19th of August including the current holders, Borussia Dortmund. Amongst the four matches reserved for the final day of action is Jahn Regensburg vs. Bayern München.
The draw has handed out some interesting clashes. Karlsruher will take on Hamburger SV. Currently, there are rumours about Manchester City’s interest in their sporting director Frank Arnesen. Arnesen proved to be disastrous for the club; the only good decision he really made was to bring on the coach Thorsten Fink. HSV didn’t look too convincing in their pre-season matches and could see their cup dreams end soon.
Viktoria Hamburg meanwhile is taking on SC Freiburg, the survivors in the Bundesliga from last season. Freiburg was almost everyone’s pick for relegation last season but managed to turn their season around to the fans’ amazement. Meanwhile Köln, fresh from a thrashing in the hands of Arsenal and former hero Lukas Podolski will hope to avoid an exit against SpVgg Unterhaching.
Bremen and Schalke are a delight to watch in these early rounds. Schalke has been drawn with FC Saarbrücken while Bremen has drawn the rather funnily named side, Preußen Münster. Hansa Rostock will take on Kaiserslautern in what promises to be an interesting fixture.
Greuther Fürth will be out to prove their worth against Kickers Offenbach. They were the surprise semifinalists of last season but sold the player who got them there, Olivier Occean. They caused one of the upsets in the competition last season when they put out much fancied Hoffenheim.
Wacker Burghausen, a side that nearly put out Bayern in Oliver Kahn’s days, will take on Bundesliga new boys Fortuna Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf took Dortmund to penalties after wasting their chances to knock out the Bundesliga champions in normal time. Dortmund has been handed a rather easy draw in FC Oberneuland. Dortmund was knocked out in the first round in 2010.
Bayer Leverkusen has been at the heart of plenty of upsets. Leading Düsseldorf 3-1, they lost their concentration and lost the match 4-3 in last season’s first round. In 2009, they knocked out the favourite, Bayern, hammering them 4-2. They had a three goal lead before Bayern even realized what hit them. They were finalists that season (2009). They face a tricky side in Carl Zeiss Jena.
Borussia Mönchengladbach lost out in the semi-finals in heart-breaking fashion last season. The fans and players alike were in tears in Borussia Park. A penalty shoot-out against Bayern saw them finish second best. They face Alemannia Aachen, a side which hasn’t seen any first tier football following relegation in 2008.
The draw saw the best German team in the history of the competition, Bayern, paired with Jahn Regensburg. Bayern is not too prone to early exits. In 2009 though, they were given a good scare by Rot Weiss Essen, who they beat 4-3. A little known fact about Bayern is that they lost out on a treble because of the Pokal.
In 2001, Bayern lifted the Bundesliga trophy and the much coveted Champions League trophy. Unfortunately a second round defeat in the Pokal on penalties in the hands of FC Magdeburg ended Bayern’s dreams of an elusive treble.
The fact that a little known side can deprive Bayern München of a treble shows exactly why this competition delights and frightens its viewers in equal measure. The competition has seen four different winners in the past four seasons in Bremen, Bayern, Schalke and Dortmund.
So, tune in for some Pokal action this week. It will be time well spent.
The draw has handed out some interesting clashes. Karlsruher will take on Hamburger SV. Currently, there are rumours about Manchester City’s interest in their sporting director Frank Arnesen. Arnesen proved to be disastrous for the club; the only good decision he really made was to bring on the coach Thorsten Fink. HSV didn’t look too convincing in their pre-season matches and could see their cup dreams end soon.
Viktoria Hamburg meanwhile is taking on SC Freiburg, the survivors in the Bundesliga from last season. Freiburg was almost everyone’s pick for relegation last season but managed to turn their season around to the fans’ amazement. Meanwhile Köln, fresh from a thrashing in the hands of Arsenal and former hero Lukas Podolski will hope to avoid an exit against SpVgg Unterhaching.
Bremen and Schalke are a delight to watch in these early rounds. Schalke has been drawn with FC Saarbrücken while Bremen has drawn the rather funnily named side, Preußen Münster. Hansa Rostock will take on Kaiserslautern in what promises to be an interesting fixture.
Greuther Fürth will be out to prove their worth against Kickers Offenbach. They were the surprise semifinalists of last season but sold the player who got them there, Olivier Occean. They caused one of the upsets in the competition last season when they put out much fancied Hoffenheim.
Wacker Burghausen, a side that nearly put out Bayern in Oliver Kahn’s days, will take on Bundesliga new boys Fortuna Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf took Dortmund to penalties after wasting their chances to knock out the Bundesliga champions in normal time. Dortmund has been handed a rather easy draw in FC Oberneuland. Dortmund was knocked out in the first round in 2010.
Bayer Leverkusen has been at the heart of plenty of upsets. Leading Düsseldorf 3-1, they lost their concentration and lost the match 4-3 in last season’s first round. In 2009, they knocked out the favourite, Bayern, hammering them 4-2. They had a three goal lead before Bayern even realized what hit them. They were finalists that season (2009). They face a tricky side in Carl Zeiss Jena.
Borussia Mönchengladbach lost out in the semi-finals in heart-breaking fashion last season. The fans and players alike were in tears in Borussia Park. A penalty shoot-out against Bayern saw them finish second best. They face Alemannia Aachen, a side which hasn’t seen any first tier football following relegation in 2008.
The draw saw the best German team in the history of the competition, Bayern, paired with Jahn Regensburg. Bayern is not too prone to early exits. In 2009 though, they were given a good scare by Rot Weiss Essen, who they beat 4-3. A little known fact about Bayern is that they lost out on a treble because of the Pokal.
In 2001, Bayern lifted the Bundesliga trophy and the much coveted Champions League trophy. Unfortunately a second round defeat in the Pokal on penalties in the hands of FC Magdeburg ended Bayern’s dreams of an elusive treble.
The fact that a little known side can deprive Bayern München of a treble shows exactly why this competition delights and frightens its viewers in equal measure. The competition has seen four different winners in the past four seasons in Bremen, Bayern, Schalke and Dortmund.
So, tune in for some Pokal action this week. It will be time well spent.
