DFB Cup: Four second division teams in the quarter-finals and new favourites

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Four second division teams in the quarter-finals and new favourites: That’s the situation in the DFB Cup

Hanover’s Gael Bella Ondoua celebrates the third goal against Gladbach with his teammates

© Stuart Franklin / Getty Images

Four second division teams are in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup. There are many reasons for this, but one thing is certain: an interesting endgame beckons because there are new favorites.

That has never happened before: Not a single title holder in the past 20 years has reached the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup, in which the favorites have died out so far. Instead, there are four second division clubs: Hannover 96, FC. St. Pauli, Karlsruher SC and Hamburger SV. Top clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach were recently knocked out against the first two second division teams mentioned. In general, the first four of the current table have already failed. In addition to BVB and TSG Hoffenheim, FC Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen are also well known. The four Bundesliga clubs RB Leipzig, 1. FC Union Berlin, SC Freiburg and VfL Bochum are still in the competition.

What’s going on there? Apart from the fact that the Bundesliga clubs threw each other out like Gladbach with a furious 5-0 Bayern, many of the big ones are weakening considerably. Borussia Dortmund, which actually claims to keep up in the big world of the Champions League, shows fluctuating performances as so often in previous years. It’s particularly pronounced in the current season under new coach Marco Rose. The black and yellow regularly deliver performances that are far from their top form. This applies even more to Borussia Mönchengladbach, which is playing a very weak season and is in an acute crisis. FC Bayern’s departure was more due to an industrial accident and strong Gladbachers, who probably delivered the brilliant performance of the season.

Exciting constellations

Nevertheless, this results in exciting constellations. On May 21st, Union Berlin could win the cup in a hopefully sold-out Berlin Olympic Stadium. In 2001, the Irons were in the final, back then as a regional league team. 21 years later, the club from Köpenick is an established Bundesliga team – and number one in the capital.

Two other clubs could also benefit from the exceptional location: RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg. The people of Leipzig finally want to win the pot on the third try. Last year’s finalist knew that the 2-0 win over Hansa Rostock on Wednesday evening wasn’t one of the highlights. But it doesn’t matter. “We saw that big teams can also lose against small ones. Our goal before the season was to win something this year. And we’re going for it,” said goalscorer Yussuf Poulsen.

Many would treat SC Freiburg

Many would begrudge SC Freiburg and coach Christian Streich their success. Sixth in the table is having an outstanding season and has a realistic chance of lifting the cup. “The cup is the easiest thing for us to win a title,” emphasized attacker Lucas Höler. “The dream is huge,” said the double goalscorer in the win against Hoffenheim, Vincenzo Grifo.

But who knows: Maybe the former Bundesliga Dino HSV will win the title: It would be the first since 1987, when Hamburg won the final against the Stuttgarter Kickers.

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