FC Bayern kick off their 2023/24 DFB Cup campaign away at Preußen Münster on Tuesday (kick-off: 20:45 CEST, coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app with our live text and free web radio). Here’s all you need to know about the game in our preview.
Check out the photos from final training on Monday:
State of play for Bayern
Bayern come into this game on the back of three home matches in the space of nine days that has seen the 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen followed by seven-goal wins over Manchester United (4-3) and Bochum (7-0). The next week and a half sees the Munich club on the road, with trips to RB Leipzig on Saturday and Copenhagen next Tuesday following the first hurdle in the cup. “Our goal is to win it. We want to get to Berlin. We have to win game after game for that, and that starts tomorrow,” said coach Thomas Tuchel at his press conference on Monday.
It’s been 28 years since Bayern last fell in the first round of the DFB Cup. That run needs to be extended now in Münster. “The cup has a special fascination because it’s a knockout competition,” Tuchel added. That also increases the pressure on his team: “The format always maintains the chance for the underdogs to exceed themselves. You always have to find a way to win. That’s what we expect from ourselves. We need to prove that.”
Recap what Tuchel had to say in his press conference:
Opponent: Preußen Münster
After three years in the fourth-tier Regionalliga West, Preußen returned to the 3. Liga in the summer. However, it has been a tough start with only eight points from the first seven games, leaving them in 15th place. Münster can now “play without pressure”, according to Tuchel, at the sold-out Preußenstadion. “We’re expecting an opponent who forms a unit with the crowd and fights together for an upset. They want to create an atmosphere to exceed themselves,” the 50-year-old warned before adding: “We won’t underestimate the opponent.”
The game will also be a special one for Johannes Schenk. The 20-year-old goalkeeper is currently on loan at Preußen from Bayern but is yet to make an appearance there.
Facts ahead of the cup tie in Münster:
Personnel
Bayern remain without captain Manuel Neuer, while Matthijs de Ligt will also miss the game after taking a knock to his knee against Bochum. However, Raphael Guerreiro is set to “return and be in the squad,” as Tuchel stated, following his calf injury. The coach also confirmed that Daniel Peretz will also start in goal for his Bayern debut: “It’s been discussed with him and the goalkeeping coach.”
The hosts are without Shaibou Oubeyapwa, Dennis Grote and Dominik Schad with knee problems. Forward Yassine Bouchama broke his nose against Lübeck at the weekend but is expected to be able to play with a face mask.
What the coaches say
We want to be dominant, have possession, not allow any counters, and then use our individual quality to score goals. That’s what we’re good at right now, creating lots of chances. We have to find a way to win this game. That’s the task we face.
Thomas Tuchel
I want us to be brave and want to get forward. Playing hare and tortoise brings nothing. When we win the ball, we want to get forward quickly. We can only to it together, need to work for each other. We need to fight with everything.
Sascha Hildmann (Preußen Münster head coach)
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