Sandhausen starts, followed by Darmstadt, Nuremberg, Düsseldorf and Bochum. This week some outsiders are hoping for a lucrative entry into the quarter-finals of the cup.
This week, too, the DFB-Pokal is a big deal in Erste. After Bayern’s victory in Mainz on Wednesday evening (February 1st, 2023), the Hesse duel between Eintracht Frankfurt and second division leaders SV Darmstadt 98 will follow on Tuesday, February 7th. There will also be audio streams and live tickers for all games.
SV Sandhausen – SC Freiburg (Tuesday, 6 p.m.)
Alois Schwartz faces a dilemma. What should the coach of SV Sandhausen do? Full power for his team’s cup fight early Tuesday evening against Bundesliga club SV Freiburg (live radio report in the audio stream on Tuesday from 6 p.m.)? Or would you rather keep the ball flat in the DFB Cup and concentrate on the relegation battle in the second division?
After all, the situation for the “undescendables” from Hardtwald in everyday football is scary: With 19 points from 19 games played so far, the SVS is right in the middle of the relegation battle. At least since the 4-0 swatter against Darmstadt last Friday, they know exactly in Sandhausen: Everything has to go in the fight to stay up – otherwise the SVS will only be one floor down after eleven seasons in the football lower house from the summer give.
For Freiburg, the situation is naturally very different. Still in the top tier of the Bundesliga, Christian Streich’s team is trying to make something very special out of this season. The DFB Cup is one of Freiburg’s great opportunities. Especially since the game with the absolute outsider in Sandhausen doesn’t really give reason to expect a stumble.
Eintracht Frankfurt – SV Darmstadt 98 (Tuesday, 8.45 p.m.)
The live game in the first division has it all: Frankfurt’s Eintracht is of course the favorite in the duel with the second division (Tuesday, from 8.45 p.m. live as a radio report in the audio stream). But the problem in this duel – as all Hessian football fans know – is not even in the details. It is obvious: The SVD is currently playing its season of superlatives.
Coach Torsten Lieberknecht’s team is knocking on the Bundesliga goal with a vengeance – they have been unbeaten in 20 competitive games in a row. Lilien’s last defeat was on July 16, 2022. No wonder people in Frankfurt have a lot of respect for their neighbors. “They have an amazing offensive and are very efficient. We can’t get any further with three hooks,” warns Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner.
What the Austrian means and speaks to after eight points from four games: His team has been playing well since the restart after the winter break and is getting good results.
However, the lethargy that the team shows at times did not go unnoticed by those responsible. “If we think we can reach our goals with 60 or 70 percent, that won’t work,” said sporting director Markus Krösche after last weekend.
1. FC Nuremberg – Fortuna Düsseldorf (Wednesday, 6 p.m.)
The heydays of both clubs seem to be ages ago – both are now all the more focused on the great opportunity that the DFB Cup is offering them. Both Nuremberg and Düsseldorf (Wednesday, from 6 p.m. live as a radio report in the audio stream) expect to make it into the quarter-finals in the game against their league rivals. And then maybe even more.
At FCN, however, the tree is burning in the league at the moment. The derby defeat in Fürth (0:1) hurt, the club is suddenly in the middle of a relegation battle in the league. Only because of the better goal difference compared to Regensburg not yet in a direct relegation zone. Even the commitment of the prominent coach Markus Weinzierl (in office since October) brought no improvement.
However, the mood at the cup opponents could also be better. Fortuna recently lost significantly with 1:4 in Paderborn – the team has hardly any realistic chances of being able to intervene again in the targeted race for promotion to the Bundesliga. Fortuna will also be affected by the long-term absence of defender Matthias Zimmermann, who injured his buttock muscles in Paderborn. On the other hand, coach Daniel Thioune is hoping for the return of defensive stabilizer Marcel Sobottka, who was recently absent due to illness.
VfL Bochum – Borussia Dortmund (Wednesday, 8.45 p.m.)
It’s the top game of the week: VfL Bochum versus Borussia Dortmund (Wednesday, from 8:45 p.m. live as a radio report in the audio stream). It should be so gripping because both teams are full of juice and in great spirits: VfL Bochum recently underlined their pronounced home strength in the exhilarating 5-2 win against TSG Hoffenheim.
Outside player Christoph Antwi-Adjei was almost unstoppable, exploiting his speed and driving the opposing defenders almost insane all on their own.
But Borussia Dortmund has also shown since the end of the winter break that the team is ready to fight Bayern Munich for the championship. The 5:1 against Freiburg was really fun recently.
The only problem with Borussia at the moment is that coach Edin Terzic sometimes doesn’t know what to do with all the ready-to-play players. The squad is huge and almost everyone is healthy and fit at the moment. As a result, league heavyweights such as Mats Hummels, Mo Dahoud, Gio Reyna and Anthony Modeste have hardly received any playing time. Even young star Youssoufa Moukoko has to queue at the back.
The cup game could offer an opportunity to give the players from the second row the opportunity to play. But Terzic will not do one thing: give away the DFB Cup. He knows: VfL Bochum will take action as soon as there is even the slightest chance.
Background to the round of 16
The round of 16 in the DFB Cup will be played on four different days this season, with no games taking place at the same time. The background is a new marketing of the DFB Cup by the DFB, which has awarded the TV rights from the current season up to and including 2025/26. Of course it’s also about the money.