We are down to the last four in the German Cup. Three of the teams alive are competing on two fronts domestically.
The big clash of this round obviously is between FC Bayern and Monchengladbach. Dortmund’s meeting with Greuther Furth, the giant killers this season, pales in comparison to the clash between the two Bundesliga sides. Bayern has already lost twice to Gladbach this season.

However, the circumstances for those meetings weren’t ideal for Bayern. The first meeting was in the first match of the season were Bayern lost 0-1 due to an absolute howler from Manuel Neuer aided by Jerome Boateng. The second match came just after the winter-break as Bayern featuring an almost fatigued group of players and aided by another Neuer howler lost 3-1.

Bayern lost to Schalke twice last season before finally taking them 4-1 as the end neared. Schalke beat them at this stage of the Pokal, 0-1, last season thanks to a Raul goal. Bayern comes into this semi-final in better form than ever, on the back of two home wins by a combined score-line of 14-1 and a precious 0-6 away win.

Gladbach does not come into this match in the best of form. Two draws and a loss to teams who they were expected to beat had seen the enthusiasm surrounding the team die down ever so slightly. The win over Leverkusen this week though should give the fans confidence considering this very same Bayer 04 side beat Bayern 2-0 not too long ago.

Gladbach beat Hertha in Berlin in the previous round. Filip Daems and Oscar Wendt scored in extra time to see Gladbach through to this stage. Bayern beat Stuttgart in the Mercedes Benz Arena 0-2 with a goal from Franck Ribery and a customary strike against his former club from Mario Gomez in the previous round.

In the other clash, Dortmund has a relatively easy task in their hands. Furth has been the ‘Cinderella Story’ of the Cup so far. They put out Hoffenheim 0-1 in the previous round with a goal from Olivier Occean. Dortmund easily put out Holstein Kiel 0-4 in the quarter finals with goals from Robert Lewandowski, Shinji Kagawa, Lucas Barrios and Ivan Perisic.

If Bayern and Dortmund progress, the cup final will be a repeat of the 2008 edition where Bayern won 2-1 in extra time. A cup final for Gladbach would be a welcome return for their fans to the limelight after long years in the abyss. An appearance for Furth would be wonderful; however, nobody wants to see a repeat of last year’s cup final where Schalke absolutely thumped Duisburg 0-5.

So, who do you think will reach the Cup Final? Let me hear your thoughts.