DFB-Pokal Previews: The Friday Fixtures

Luke is back with the second installment of his DFB-Pokal previews. He covered all games except for Hertha’s match against Trier. We don’t want to make life too easy for our team bloggers…

SpVgg Unterhaching vs SC Freiburg
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Generali Sportpark, Unterhaching

SpVgg Unterhaching
Last Cup apperance: 2007-08
Last Cup title: Still waiting..
Last year: Lost in 1st round to Hertha Berlin
What their supporters will be drinking: Löwenbräu
Did you know…Tobias Schweinsteiger, older brother of Bastian, is on the roster. Photo evidence appears to exonerate him of any poor role modelling re: the younger Schweini’s hairstyle choices.

Unterhaching finds itself an inaugural member of the Dritte Liga. They have a win and a draw under their belt so far this season. Former Czech national player Roman Týce scored last time out against Paderborn, and is one of the few recognizable names.

SC Freiburg
Last Cup Appearance :2007-2008
Last Cup Title: Not once
Last year: Lost in 2nd round to Hamburger SV
What their supporters will be drinking: Ganter
Did you know…Freiburg were 2. Bundesliga Champions in both 92-93 and 02-03

Having his 1st season promotion dreams dashed, coach Robin Dutt looks to this season to carve out his own niche and step out of the sizeable shadow of former headman Volker Finke. Freiburg was a sensation in the 90’s and in the early 00’s, due in large part to Finke’s singular tactics and philosophy. Mohammadou Idrissou (Duisburg) and Tommy Bechmann (Bochum) are a couple new arrivals whose exploits you may remember from the Bundesliga last season.

The pick: ‘Haching 1-2 Freiburg (AET)

 
Preussen Münster vs VfL Bochum
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Preussenstadion, Münster

Preussen Münster
Last Cup Apperance: 1997-98
Last Cup Title: Maybe this year?
Last year: Westfalen Cup champions
What their supporters will be drinking: Perhaps Herforder or Pinkus, though Warsteiner is a sponsor
Did you know…Preussen Münster was an original member of the Bundesliga. They were relegated that first season..and have never been back. Sort of a bizarro Hamburg.

I guess the most interesting thing I can tell you about this team is that they have that rare type of player for a German team: an Italian! They were the Oberliga Westfalen champions and now find themselves in the new Regionalliga West.

VfL Bochum
Last Cup Appearance: 2007-08
Last Cup Title: Twice in the final, but never hoisted the cup.
Last year: Lost in the 2nd Round to Alemannia Aachen:
What their fans will be drinking: Fiege, unless they are sellouts and drink Dortmund-brewed products.
Did you know…“4630 Bochum” by Herbert Gronemeyer is still one of the most popular German recordings of all time. I’ll still take the German version of “I Want to Hold You Hand”, thank you very much.

You’ve got to figure this is the year the elevator goes down for Bochum, despite being buyers this offseason…but for now, Shinji Ono and Christian Fuchs gets their first tastes of the Pokal. Bochum was quietly a very strong home side in the Bundesliga last season, so if they get the right draws, they may have some staying power here.

The pick: Preussen 1:3 Bochum

 
Erzgebirge Aue vs St. Pauli
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Erzgebirgestadion, Aue

Erzgebirge Aue
Last Cup Apperance: 2007-2008
Last Cup Title: An East German Cup in 1955 is all they can boast.
Last year: Lost in the 1st round to Wuppertaler SV
What their supporters will be drinking: The club would have you think Hasseröder, but more likely Freiberger
Did you know…The club won four East German Oberliga (top flight) titles under the alias “SC Wismut Karl Marx Stadt”?

I hate trying to say “Erzgebirge Aue”. I hope it’s more pleasing to German tongues. They took the drop into the Dritte Liga, and have started the season off badly, losing twice. Even when they were a midtable squad in the 2nd division in recent years, this was the kind of team that would put you to sleep. All the style points will be going to their opponents.

St. Pauli
Last Cup Apperance 2007-2008
Last Cup Title: None, I’m afraid
Last year: Lost in 2nd round to Werder Bremen (amateurs)
What their supporters will be drinking: Astra
Did you know…The clubs met twice in the 2. Bundesliga last season, St. Pauli taking the first match 4-2, the second ending 0-0.

Well, what can I add to the legend that is St. Pauli? Every neighborhood needs a football team, and this is the Reeperbahn’s. Although St. Pauli may be better known for what happens in the stands than on the field, this is a squad with the edge in experience and offense in this matchup, and it’s always a good thing to see them go far. For their sake, let’s hope they don’t run into Bayern this time around.

The pick: Aue 0:2 St. Pauli

 
Kickers Offenbach vs Greuther Fürth
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Bieberer Berg, Offenbach

Kickers Offenbach
Last Cup Apperance: 2007-2008
Last Cup Title: 1969-1970
Last year: Lost in the 2nd round to Hansa Rostock
What their supporters will be drinking: Henninger is a sponsor
Did you know…The DWD (German equivalent to the National Weather Service) is headquartered in Offenbach.

I can’t say I’m particularly impressed with Offenbach’s roster, but Steffen Haas, a young midfielder on loan from Hoffenheim, might be one to watch. This is a team that has been in a slow decline over the last couple years, and finally finds itself out of the 2. Liga. They won their first home match of the year against Wacker Burghausen last weekend.

Greuther Fürth
Last Cup Apperance 2007-08
Last Cup Title: None, but surely some fair weather supporters celebrated with Der Club.
Last year: Lost in 2nd round to Hoffenheim
What their supporters will be drinking: I’m going to say Tucher predominately
Did you know…One of the clubs that merged to form the current side (TSV Vestenbergsgreuth) defeated Bayern Munich in 1st round of the 1994-95 Pokal in a tremendous upset.

This is a team that has not done a lot to improve itself, after flirting with promotion for a good stretch last season. Success will not come as easily this year, and maybe home field is enough for Kickers to pull the upset. Then the club’s fans can focus on the Nuremburg grudge matches in the 2. Liga this season.

The pick: Offenbach 6:5 Fürth on penalites

 
FSV Frankfurt vs VfL Osnabrück
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt

FSV Frankfurt
Last Cup Apperance: 1995-96
Last Cup Title: Made the final once (more on that below)
Last year: Regionalliga Süd Champions
What their supporters will be drinking: Henninger
Did you know…FSV Frankfurt are one of only two teams to lose the Pokal final to..an Austrian team! Austrian sides were permitted to play in the tournament after the Anschluss, and Rapid Vienna took the title in 1938.

This is an old team by 2nd division standards, which gives one the sense that it’s cobbled together from 1st division castoffs and other assorted spare parts rather than young superstars in the making. They have really put together some cool t-shirts to commemorate the match though..that’s got to count for something.

VfL Osnabrück
Last Cup Apperance: 2007-08
Last Cup Title: Zilch
Last year: Lost in 1st round to ‘Gladbach
What their supporters will be drinking: Well, Herforder is their jersey sponsor..
Did you know…King George I was born in Osnabrück. King George I of England that is. Ah, the House of Hannover, always good for a little trivia…

Remember what I said about FSV Frankfurt being old by 2. Liga standards? That also applies is Osnabrück, but with a few exceptions…First, Bayer Leverkusen seems to have loaned about half their youth system to Osnabrück..Secondly, they have former Bayern Munich and Cologne keeper Stefan Wessels in goal.

The pick: FSV Frankfurt 1:2 VfL Osnabrück

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