The Bavarian giants will search for an elusive treble on a day in which the Bundesliga’s Phoenix will look to rise from the ashes.
Bruno Labbadia and his Stuttgart side have special memories associated with Bayern in this competition. Labbadia scored a hat-trick for the Champions of Europe when he donned the red of Bayern in this competition. Stuttgart meanwhile almost always runs into Bayern in the Pokal. This time, however, they have not run into Bayern. They have negotiated a pathway to the final to meet the most likely of all final opponents.
Last season, Labbadia’s side played Bayern in the quarterfinals and lost 2-0. In the 2010-11 season, Stuttgart and Bayern played out a nine goal thriller in the Cup. Hence, for the third consecutive season, Bayern and Stuttgart will battle it out in the DFB Pokal. They also met in the Cup in the 2008-09 season for good measure. However, this battle will take place on a much grander stage than the rest; this match will be played in Berlin under the floodlights. The winner will receive the golden colored trophy with the green jewels.
For Stuttgart, the Pokal has been mainly about redemption. Their league displays have ranged from excellent to poor. While Bremen’s and Schalke’s inconsistencies, Düsseldorf, Hoffenheim, Fürth and Augsburg’s flirtations with relegation as well as Freiburg and Frankfurt’s surprises have been popular topics of discussion amongst the fans, Stuttgart has often been left out.
After all, in the list of clubs mentioned above, only Stuttgart won the trophy in recent memory, with Bremen’s triumph coming a few seasons prior to Armin Veh’s Stuttgart’s surprise triumph in 2007. Stuttgart has claimed the Bundesliga three times in their history. Quite a few players have featured for the club from Swabia and the club from Bavaria in Bundesliga history. Amongst the most famous are Jürgen Klinsmann and Bayern’s current German international, Mario Gomez. Georg Niedermeier of Stuttgart came through the Bayern youth system as well and now plies his trade in Stuttgart.
The sides met twice this season. The Swabians took the lead on Match day Two through Martin Harnik only to be hit six times in the blink of an eye. The second match was extremely tight. Bayern found no way through Stuttgart until an unnecessary back pass saw the Swabians shoot themselves in the foot. Bayern won that encounter 0-2. This match will perhaps resemble the second encounter rather than the first.
Stuttgart’s back up keeper, Marc Ziegler, is still in rehabilitation following injury. Mamadou Bah and Daniel Didavi are both out until next season. Tamas Hajnal and Felipe are both out for an unknown period. For Bayern, Toni Kroos will be unavailable. Holger Badstuber will be out for the match as well as the better part of next season. Dante and Luiz Gustavo are both out due to international duty.
Bruno Labbadia got his tactics spot on when the two teams met at the beginning of the year. He will perhaps use the same tactics again; his side will have to maintain their discipline however to replicate that performance. Bayern meanwhile will do a bit of everything; they will press the Stuttgart players, keep possession, attack down the wings and the centre and counterattack at every possible chance.
Who will win the final domestic trophy on offer in Germany this season? Will Stuttgart crown a rather difficult season or will Bayern complete the dream treble?
Last season, Labbadia’s side played Bayern in the quarterfinals and lost 2-0. In the 2010-11 season, Stuttgart and Bayern played out a nine goal thriller in the Cup. Hence, for the third consecutive season, Bayern and Stuttgart will battle it out in the DFB Pokal. They also met in the Cup in the 2008-09 season for good measure. However, this battle will take place on a much grander stage than the rest; this match will be played in Berlin under the floodlights. The winner will receive the golden colored trophy with the green jewels.
For Stuttgart, the Pokal has been mainly about redemption. Their league displays have ranged from excellent to poor. While Bremen’s and Schalke’s inconsistencies, Düsseldorf, Hoffenheim, Fürth and Augsburg’s flirtations with relegation as well as Freiburg and Frankfurt’s surprises have been popular topics of discussion amongst the fans, Stuttgart has often been left out.
After all, in the list of clubs mentioned above, only Stuttgart won the trophy in recent memory, with Bremen’s triumph coming a few seasons prior to Armin Veh’s Stuttgart’s surprise triumph in 2007. Stuttgart has claimed the Bundesliga three times in their history. Quite a few players have featured for the club from Swabia and the club from Bavaria in Bundesliga history. Amongst the most famous are Jürgen Klinsmann and Bayern’s current German international, Mario Gomez. Georg Niedermeier of Stuttgart came through the Bayern youth system as well and now plies his trade in Stuttgart.
The sides met twice this season. The Swabians took the lead on Match day Two through Martin Harnik only to be hit six times in the blink of an eye. The second match was extremely tight. Bayern found no way through Stuttgart until an unnecessary back pass saw the Swabians shoot themselves in the foot. Bayern won that encounter 0-2. This match will perhaps resemble the second encounter rather than the first.
Stuttgart’s back up keeper, Marc Ziegler, is still in rehabilitation following injury. Mamadou Bah and Daniel Didavi are both out until next season. Tamas Hajnal and Felipe are both out for an unknown period. For Bayern, Toni Kroos will be unavailable. Holger Badstuber will be out for the match as well as the better part of next season. Dante and Luiz Gustavo are both out due to international duty.
Bruno Labbadia got his tactics spot on when the two teams met at the beginning of the year. He will perhaps use the same tactics again; his side will have to maintain their discipline however to replicate that performance. Bayern meanwhile will do a bit of everything; they will press the Stuttgart players, keep possession, attack down the wings and the centre and counterattack at every possible chance.
Who will win the final domestic trophy on offer in Germany this season? Will Stuttgart crown a rather difficult season or will Bayern complete the dream treble?
