In the first round of the DFB Cup, the six Oberliga teams are the biggest outsiders among the 64 teams. We introduce them.
TSG Neustrelitz
TSG Neustrelitz fought hard to win the state cup final in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The team had better nerves and luck on their side against Greifswalder FC with a 7:6 penalty shoot-out. Neustrelitz is represented in the DFB Cup for the first time since 2013. At that time there was a respectable 0: 2 after extra time against the Bundesliga club SC Freiburg. Now the Karlsruher SC is a guest in the Parkstadion – and that under floodlights. “We wanted a Friday game because of the special atmosphere”says TSG spokesman Stephan Neubauer.
FV Engers 07
“The boys from the water tower” – that’s what the FV Engers team calls itself. Because the stadium of the same name in the district of Neuwied is towered over by a stately water tower. However, the professionals from Arminia Bielefeld will not see it. Because for the guest appearance of the second division, the team is moving to the Koblenz Stadion Oberwerth. And that’s a very good move. That’s where FV 07 won the Rhineland Cup against FC Blau-Weiss Karbach (1-0). Two years ago, Engers was in the DFB Cup. At that time there was a 0:3 against VfL Bochum.
FC Unity Wernigerode
The team from the Harz could not win the state cup. In the final there was a 0:5 defeat against 1. FC Magdeburg, which the club could get over. Since Magdeburg had already qualified for the first round of the cup as third division champions, Wernigerode still entered the competition for Saxony-Anhalt. FC Unit had earned this by winning the state cup against regional division Germania Halberstadt and third division Hallescher FC. In the first round of the cup, it is now against SC Paderborn in the stadium in the Sportforum Kohlgarten. For the club it is the premiere in the DFB Cup.
SV Oberachern
SV Oberachern from southern Baden drew the biggest draw from the top division. Because the team can play against a Bundesliga club, Borussia Mönchengladbach is a guest. The SV even moves to the Dreisamstadion in Freiburg, the former home of the local sports club. The team finished the past Oberliga season in 13th place, but things went better in the state cup. There was a 2-0 win in the final against DJK Donaueschingen. It is the first appearance in the DFB Cup for the small club from Achern on the edge of the Black Forest.
TSV Schott Mainz
The 3-0 victory in the state cup final against Pirmasens was a consolation for the Mainz team after a completely unsuccessful regional league season. At the end of it, FSV Schott was relegated to the Oberliga. The club made history when they entered the DFB Cup. Because never before has an amateur club from the Rhineland-Palatinate state capital made it into the first round. For the game against Hannover 96, FSV is therefore moving to the Bruchweg Stadium, the former home of Bundesliga club 1. FSV Mainz 05.
Stuttgart kickers
One of the underdogs in the cup is a club with a fairly big name. The Stuttgarter Kickers played in the Bundesliga for two years and even reached the final of the DFB Cup once. But there was a defeat there in 1987 against Hamburger SV. In 2000, Stuttgart made it to the semi-finals again. The team fought hard to win the Württemberg State Cup. In the final against SSV Ulm 1846 there was a 5:4 penalty shootout. The SpVgg Greuther Fürth welcome the kickers in the time-honored stadium on the Waldau in Stuttgart-Degerloch. “We’re happy to be back in the DFB Cup since 2015 and to present ourselves there. It’s a great opportunity for us as a club. And now we’re obviously hoping for a great game.”said sports director Marc Stein.
Three teams promoted after winning the cup
The underdogs also include three clubs that won the state cup when they were in the top division and thus made it perfect for the DFB Cup, but then also got promoted and are therefore now considered fourth division clubs. 1. FC Kaan-Marienborn from the Regionalliga West is expecting 1. FC Nürnberg. Bremer SV (North) has to play against Schalke 04, and Blau-Weiss Lohne (North) plays against FC Augsburg.
Eleven other regional leagues
And of course the eleven other regional league teams are also among the blatant outsiders in the competition. FV Illertissen, Viktoria Berlin, Energie Cottbus, Kickers Offenbach, SV Straelen, BSV Rehden, Chemnitzer FC, VfB Lübeck, Carl-Zeiss Jena, SV Rödinghausen and Teutonia Ottensen have to hope for a great day and a dropout from their higher-class opponent . Ottensen has hit the jackpot. The Hamburgers expect defending champions RB Leipzig.