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On February 4, the DFB Cup will finally continue. The remaining 16 teams will meet in the round of 16 of the German Cup. Especially for medium-sized clubs, it is the easiest chance to move into the Europa League. Four more wins are necessary for this. We’ll tell you who we can trust in the next round in the round-up for the DFB Pokal!
1.FC Kaiserslautern – Fortuna Düsseldorf (Tuesday, February 4th, 2020 – 6:30 pm)
The FCK is no longer part of the major club in Germany and wants to use the Cup to get back into the limelight across Germany. 3rd league is the hard everyday life in the Palatinate, after all, the Red Devils have not lost since the beginning of November – and therefore for six games. The victory in the penalty shoot-out against troubled Nuremberg brought additional money into the tight coffers of the Lauterer, who want to create the next moderately difficult sensation against not exactly stable Düsseldorfers. It has never been easy to insist on the floodlit bed. FCK coach Boris Schommers was born in the Rhineland. Against Fortuna Düsseldorf he should hope that the strength of goalkeeper Lennart Grill will be there. The Lautern goalkeeper became a hero on penalties against FCN. Düsseldorf certainly has the stronger squad, but the journey to the Palatinate can end badly on bad days. We trust the FCK to make the renewal again. After that everything is possible!
Eintracht Frankfurt – RB Leipzig (Tuesday, February 4, 2020 – 6:30 p.m.)
Eintracht will be dealing with RB four times within four weeks: at the end of January in the league, then in the cup against Leipzig (live at Sport1) and shortly afterwards in a return match in the Europa League against the Salzburg counterpart. Up until a few days ago, no herb seemed to have grown against strong Leipzigers, but the SBU won the Bundesliga duel 2-0 at the end of January. And: IN Frankfurt the shower club has never won (0-2-1). We are leaning, and certainly not far out of the window, if we claim that this will change in the round of 16. This time, the Nagelsmann team wins at Eintracht Frankfurt, for whom the end of the triple burden would probably not be the biggest broken leg either.
Schalke 04 – Hertha BSC (Tuesday, February 4th, 2020 – 8:45 pm)
Four days after the league game at the Olympic Stadium, Schalke and Hertha face each other in the cup. Due to the strong first half of the season and the home advantage, the miners prefer to go into the game. The Hertha doesn’t like the Veltins Arena at all. Since 2004 the Berliners have won only once in Gelsenkirchen. The balance in the DFB Cup looks similarly bleak for the capital: Hertha decided only one of six duels with royal blue (1970). On paper, it may be the most balanced Bundesliga pairing in this round of 16 of the Cup, so our tendency is very easy to progress to Schalke.
Werder Bremen – Borussia Dortmund (Tuesday, February 4th, 2020 – 8:45 pm)
Exactly a year ago, green-white and black-yellow delivered a true cup thriller! Werder cheered after a magical night: 3: 3 after extra time, 5: 7 after penalty shootout. And this time? The initial situation has changed only slightly, if at all. The Bremen team are worse off in the league, but this time they have the home advantage. On the evening of the club’s 121st birthday, Bremen wants to bring BVB down again (live on ARD). Borussia from Dortmund will stand up to par, that’s for sure. Werder only has a chance to progress if the new BVB storm tank Erling Halaand is put on the chain. We have doubts that it will work. Tip: Dortmund struggles to the quarter-finals.
Bayer Leverkusen – VfB Stuttgart (Wednesday, February 5, 2020 – 6:30 pm)
VfB is a grateful opponent for the Werkself. Of the last 16 duels between Leverkusen and Stuttgart, only one went to the Swabians. So far, they have met twice in the DFB Cup (1991 and 2002), and the winner there was always Bayer Leverkusen. Add to that the blatant weakness of Gomez and Co away: In the current second division season, VfB Stuttgart won only two games abroad. It remains to be seen whether and how the South Germans will compensate for the departure of Santiago Ascacibar (change to Hertha BSC). Defense chief Holger Badstuber is out for several weeks. Leverkusen, on the other hand, came ideally from the winter break, ironing Paderborn (4: 1) and Düsseldorf (3: 0) effortlessly. Clear home win for the team of Peter Bosz!
SC Verl – 1. FC Union Berlin (Wednesday, February 5, 2020 – 6:30 pm)
The village of Verl (25,000 inhabitants) is looking forward to the round of 16 against the clear favorite from the capital. The East Westphalians sensationally beat FC Augsburg and in round 2 the second division club Holstein Kiel on penalties. The regional league is currently worried about the weather. In the worst case, there is even a risk of a change of place and the game against Union may not be played on Poststrasse at home, but in the SC Paderborn stadium. Union Berlin would certainly do well to play in a neutral place, because you won first away. At least in the league. The Iron in the cup won in Halberstadt and at SC Freiburg. Again, the newcomer to the Bundesliga will not be naked and end the adventure Verl.
Bayern Munich – TSG Hoffenheim (Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 – 8:45 pm)
Bayern still have an open bill with TSG: In the first half of the Bundesliga, coach Alfred Schreuder’s team won 2-1 at Munich. The Kraichgauer, of course, still go into this round of 16 as an underdog, especially since you still have to do without the regulars Oliver Baumann, Robert Skov and Ishak Belfodil. The Hansi Flick team is also battered in terms of personnel, but of course it has a much stronger squad. Kingsley Coman and Lucas Hernandez are also expected to return. Lewandowski and Müller are in top shape, which is why nobody really doubts that Bayern will progress. We don’t either!
1.FC Saarbrücken – Karlsruher SC (Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 – 8:45 pm)
Saarbrücken or Karlsruhe are in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup, so that was certainly not to be expected before the season. For both of them, reaching the round of the last 16 is already a success that should be crowned with progress. One does not seem quite satisfied in the Saarland: In December, coach Dirk Lottner was fired despite a sensational victory against 1. FC Köln and the top position of FCS. Saarbrücken wants to move up to the third division at all costs. Lukas Kwasniok is the new man on the line, but currently has to do without top scorer Sebastian Jacob. Karlsruher SC have met FC Saarbrücken eight times since the turn of the millennium and never lost. It remains to be seen whether things will go as well for the favored Badeners this time. Before the winter break in the 2nd Bundesliga, there was a sharp clap against Fürth and Wehen Wiesbaden. Saarbrücken is by no means hopeless. And even if the Saarbrücken team is still not playing in their Ludwigspark, the FCS can also be trusted to advance against the KSC in neighboring Völklingen. Our risk tip: Saarbrücken also switches Karlsruhe off!
