FC Bayern have advanced to the DFB Cup final for the 22nd time, aiming to win the trophy for the 19th time at Berlin's Olympic stadium on Saturday. The road to Berlin was especially rocky for the record cup winners this season. Munich eliminated heavyweights RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. "We had a tough cap draw this year, almost the most difficult I've ever seen," reviewed Thomas Müller.
Bayern encounter Eintracht Frankfurt in the final for the second time after 2006. The men from Hesse advanced to the final last season but fell to Dortmund. fcbayern.com reviews the road to Berlin for both teams.
Bayern's record: five wins, 20 goals scored, 4 conceded
First round: 5-0 away to Chemnitzer FC
The German record champions enjoyed a commanding victory against the third-division side. The 15,015 crowd in Chemnitz saw Robert Lewandowski (20, 60), Kingsley Coman (51), Franck Ribéry (79) and Mats Hummels (89) score for Bayern, who took their opponents seriously from the off.
Second round: 1-1 away to RB Leipzig; Bayern win 5-4 on penalties
Bayern travelled to face runners-up RB Leipzig in the top clash of the second round. Emil Forsberg (68, pen) and Thiago (73) traded goals, the match going to extra time, but further goals refused to come in the cup thriller. The 42,558 crowd saw Munich prove cool customers in the following shootout, converting all their penalties. Keeper Sven Ulreich sent his side into the Round of 16 when he saved Timo Werner's penalty.
Round of 16: 2-1 against Borussia Dortmund
FC Bayern advanced to the quarter-finals when they beat holders Borussia Dortmund a few days before Christmas. The 75,000 capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena saw FCB dominate proceedings for long spells. Jérôme Boateng (12) and Thomas Müller (40) handed their side a two-goal lead before half-time. Borussia's Andrej Yarmolenko (77) pulled one back, but Bayern went through.
Quarter-finals: 6-0 away to SC Paderborn
FC Bayern's quarter-final victory was more clear-cut. The record cup winners sealed a commanding 6-0 victory away to third division league leaders SC Paderborn. Kingsley Coman (19), Robert Lewandowski (25) and Joshua Kimmich (42) handed Bayern a comfortable lead before the interval, sub Corentin Tolisso (55) and Arjen Robben (86/88) adding gloss to the scoreline.
Semi-finals : 6-2 away to Bayer Leverkusen
FCB travelled to face Leverkusen as their last hurdle on the road to Berlin. The Bavarians beat the Rhineland outfit 6-2, advancing to the final for the 22nd time. The 30,210 capacity crowd at the BayArena saw a hotly-contested semi-final with many chances at either end. Robert Lewandowski (3/9) scored an early brace, Lars Bender (16) pulling one back. Hat-trick man Thomas Müller (52/64/78) and Thiago (61) sealed Bayern's victory, Leon Bailey's (72) fine free-kick finding the net for the hosts.
Frankfurt's record: five wins, 13 goals scored, 1 conceded
The road was a little easier for Eintracht, who crossed swords with two Regionalliga sides first. They beat TuS Erndtebrück 3-0 before easing past 1. FC Schweinfurt 05 4-0. Frankfurt struggled away to second-division 1. FC Heidenheim but won 2-1 after extra-time. The men from Hesse entertained 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the quarter-finals, winning 3-0. They sealed a ticket to Berlin when they beat FC Schalke 04 1-0 in a hard-fought match.
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