Carl Zeiss Jena goes into the DFB Cup semi-final against VfL Wolfsburg as a blatant outsider. But the record winner is knocked out and also has to do without top striker Alexandra Popp.
While FC Carl Zeiss Jena’s full focus in recent days has been on the preliminary season highlight in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup on Sunday (4:15 p.m. live on Erste and in the audio stream in the SpiO app), it was only on Thursday that VfL Wolfsburg’s dreams were shattered on the biggest possible football stage.
Stephan Lerch’s team had to admit defeat to record winners OL Lyonnes 4-0 in extra time in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a great fight. However, there is not much time to digest the setback. And in contrast to their appearance in the premier class, the Wolfsburg women go into the cup game on Sunday as heavy favorites.
Two clubs, two worlds
Just a look at the Bundesliga table makes the starting position clear: VfL is heading for the runner-up position behind the elusive FC Bayern, while Jena, at the bottom of the table, has to worry more than ever about staying in the league. A whopping 37 points separate both teams. A sensation in the cup would undoubtedly give Jena a boost in the relegation battle.
“But of course,” emphasized FCC head coach Florian Kästner, “Wolfsburg is the favorite.” His team still feels comfortable in their role as outsiders. “We have shown in the last few games that we can take something with us against any opponent,” said Kästner.
VfL icon Popp is missing due to injury
Just two weeks ago, Jena gave VfL a try at their home Ernst Abbe sports field despite the 0-2 defeat demands a lot. Wolfsburg icon Alexandra Popp scored the opening goal with a remarkable long-range shot and emphasized after the game that the task ahead in the cup “will be a completely different matter.”
VfL striker Alexandra Popp will probably miss the cup against Jena.
The VfL captain, who is leaving in the summer after 14 years, will most likely not be there on Sunday. Popp is currently suffering from a muscle injury and was already missing from the Champions League recently. But even without the 34-year-old, the Wolfsburg women still have enormous individual quality. Jena wants to counteract this with a compact style of play, “defend aggressively as a team and give everything in,” explained attacker Rieke Titz: “We have nothing to lose.”
Wolfsburg is chasing its twelfth title
In fact, the pressure on Sunday is on the record winner from Lower Saxony. Wolfsburg has already won the trophy eleven times. The series of ten triumphs in a row between 2015 and 2024 is already one for the history books.
After last season’s quarter-final exit against Hoffenheim, the greed for the dozen titles is correspondingly great. After the exhausting game against Lyon, we now have to make sure “we combine our strengths,” emphasized VfL coach Lerch: “The next highlight is coming up and of course we want to do better.”
Jenas Tietz: “Show the world that we can play football”
Jena, on the other hand, has an almost “unique opportunity,” said Coach Kästner. In 2010, the Thuringians – then still known as USV Jena – had already reached the final once, but were defeated 0-1 by the now defunct FCR Duisburg and Alexandra Popp. Now we have another chance to “show the world that we can play football all over Germany,” said Tietz, adding with a smile: “We will try to make the impossible possible.”
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