Berlin (AP) – The little ones dream of the big cup coup. Four second division teams are fighting for a place in the cup semi-finals.
FC Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen are no longer there, the two top clubs instead meet on Saturday in the top league game.
DFB Cup
The big ones are (almost) all gone, which small one benefits? In the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the exception of last year’s finalists RB Leipzig, only clubs are still in the running that hardly anyone would have had in mind before the season: including the second division clubs FC St. Pauli, Hamburger SV, Karlsruher SC and Hannover 96. St. Pauli will start on Tuesday (8.45 p.m.) with a guest appearance at Union Berlin. On Wednesday the games of HSV against KSC and Hannover against Leipzig (both 6.30 p.m.) and VfL Bochum against SC Freiburg follow.
Bundesliga
The top game between champions FC Bayern and third-placed Bayer Leverkusen is the focus of the 25th matchday of the Bundesliga on Saturday (3:30 p.m.). Munich’s first pursuer Borussia Dortmund only has to play at FSV Mainz 05 on Sunday. In the relegation battle there are two direct duels between threatened teams: the penultimate VfB Stuttgart receives Borussia Mönchengladbach, FC Augsburg is a guest at Arminia Bielefeld. Hertha BSC is also threatened as the worst team in the second half of the season, the opponent is Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Ifab
The rulers of the world governing body FIFA are meeting on Thursday to discuss changes from July 1st. Among other things, it should be about the permanent introduction of more changes per team, and the offside rule and offside detection in video evidence should also be discussed. Since there will be a press conference with FIFA President Gianni Infantino afterwards, there will in all probability also be questions about the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for the world association.
Women/Cup
Who is allowed to go to Cologne for the Women’s Cup final? A preliminary decision will be made on Monday when the quarter-finals are held. FC Bayern (visiting Carl-Zeiss Jena) and VfL Wolfsburg (at home against SC Sand) are clearly favored in their games. In addition to seven Bundesliga teams, second division team SV Henstedt-Ulzburg is still represented as an outsider.
England/FA Cup and Manchester Derby
In the fifth round of the English FA Cup, club world champions FC Chelsea take on second division side Luton Town on Wednesday. Liverpool FC gets it – three days after the dramatic League Cup triumph against the Blues – at the same time with the relegation-prone league competitor Norwich Town to do. Already on Tuesday, champions Manchester City have a supposedly easy task at second division Peterborough United. Highlight of the weekend: Man City welcomes local rivals Manchester United with coach Ralf Rangnick on Sunday.
Milan derby
Champion Inter Milan and AC Milan are not only fighting for the title in Serie A. In the semi-finals of the cup there will be a city duel, on Tuesday (9 p.m.) the first leg will take place. Both teams have weakened recently: Inter won only one of six competitive games, Milan could only draw against two outsiders. “I don’t know if we’ll see a nice game,” said veteran coach Arrigo Sacchi of the “Gazzetta dello Sport”. In the other semi-final, Juventus will face Fiorentina.