Having gained ground in the league, the focus is now on the big game in the DFB Cup: Preußen Münster will welcome the big FC Bayern Munich on Tuesday (September 26th, 2023, 8:45 p.m.) (live in the audio live stream and ticker on sportschau.de).
In recent weeks, Sascha Hildmann has strictly refused to talk about the big game against FC Bayern. Everyday life in the league should be the focus at Preußen Münster. After the game on Saturday against VfB Lübeck (1:1), the Prussian coach broke his silence. “Now Bayern should come. The whole of Münster has been looking forward to this game for a long time – and so have we,” said the Prussian promotion coach.
The game is of course sold out, the 12,794 tickets were sold out in no time. “As a club we could have sold 30,000 or 40,000”Prussian supervisory board chairman Frank Westermann told the Westfälische Nachrichten: “The demand was just huge.” The press conference on Monday in the Preußenstadion was also unusually full, and interest in the duel with the Bayern stars is immense.
Arrived in the 3rd league
The Prussians’ tempers have now calmed down somewhat after a somewhat unsuccessful start to the season. Before the draw against fellow promoted team Lübeck, which was fair after a strong fighting performance from both teams, the Prussians had surprised with a 2-0 away win at second division relegated Sandhausen.
Looking forward to the Bavarians: Prussia coach Sascha Hildmann
“We’re promoted. Now you’re suddenly playing against a second division team that’s been established for years and wants to get back up straight away. That’s a big challenge for us. That’s why I’m even more pleased that we managed to do that today,” said SCP coach Sascha Hildmann after the Sandhausen game.
Setting “absolutely okay”
After the 1-1 draw against Lübeck, the 51-year-old struggled a bit with the opponent’s late equalizer, but admitted: In terms of attitude, the performance was “absolutely okay,” said Hildmann. “The team sacrificed, was very passionate and ran a lot.“
So now Bayern. The big game that had to be postponed due to Bayern’s Supercup game against Leipzig. The supporters of both teams now have a beautiful floodlit game in front of a full house on Hammer Strasse, which will also be broadcast on free TV (ZDF).
Nine years ago: 1:4
A little over nine years ago, FCB was a guest at the Preußenstadion: Back then, Bayern won comfortably 4-1 under coach Pep Guardiola. Only one of the goalscorers back then is still with Bayern today: Thomas Müller, who made it 2-0.
Mario Götze (1-0), David Alaba (3-0) and Claudio Pizarro also scored for FCB. While the game was Bayern’s second game of the season, today’s team is already very well coordinated and well-rehearsed: Coach Thomas Tuchel’s team already has seven competitive games on the clock.
Prussia with good First round balance
That 1:4 against Bayern in 2014/15 was the only one of Münster’s last four DFB Cup participations in which they did not survive the first round. At the last appearance in the competition in August 2021, progress was somewhat strange. Prussia lost to VfL Wolfsburg 1:3 nV, but was later awarded the victory because the then Wolfsburg coach Mark van Bommel had substituted one player too many.
“We want to sell ourselves dearly”
Hildmann is hoping for a sensation in the DFB Cup against FC Bayern Munich even without any substitution errors from Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel. “I don’t know if Thomas Tuchel changes six times, but of course there are always miracles. Anything is possible in football,” Hildmann said with a smile on Monday.
Against the German record champions, Hildmann is not only demanding a committed defensive performance from his third division team. “I want us to be brave, to look for one-on-one situations when we steal the ball,” he said before the first-round game. “We want to sell ourselves very, very dearly.”
Bavaria – a big number
But the Prussians shouldn’t be too confident: FC Bayern prevailed in 40 of the last 41 duels against lower-class teams in the DFB Cup.
During this period, Bayern were only eliminated as a lower-class opponent in the second round of 2020/21 against second division club Holstein Kiel (5:6 iE). Since the second round exit against Magdeburg in 2000 (2:4 iE), FCB has always prevailed against third-class or lower teams in 26 cases.
The winner of the game advances to the 2nd round, which begins on the last weekend in October.
