FC Bayern’s opponents in the first round of the 2015/16 DFB Cup are FC Nöttingen. The draw for the opening stage of the competition, made live on German national TV on Wednesday evening by Andrea Petkovic, sends the cup’s most successful team to the Baden regional cup winners, who were relegated from the fourth-tier South-West Regional League last season and will contest the new campaign in the fifth-tier Oberliga Baden-Württemberg.
“It’s unbelievable!” declared Nöttingen director Dirk Steidl after the draw, although he reckoned his club have “no chance whatsoever” in the meeting with the German champions. After Nöttingen successfully qualified for the first round proper via their regional cup competition, Steidl named FC Bayern as their favoured opponents. “It would be another step up from Schalke.” The Royal Blues were Nöttingen’s visitors the last time they qualified for the first round in 2013/14, with the Bundesliga side winning 2-0.
The club from Remchingen with its population of 11,000 are through to the first round for the third time. In 2012/13 they were beaten 6-1 by Hannover 96.
This year’s first round ties will be played on the weekend of 7 to 10 August, a week before the official Bundesliga restart. The match may well be switched to Karlsruhe’s Bundesliga-standard Wildpark Stadion, where Nöttingen staged their meeting with Schalke. A decision will be announced shortly.
