The memories of the cup triumph in May are still fresh. Record cup winners FC Bayern downed RB Leipzig 3-0 to hoist the trophy for the 19th time only 79 days ago. Niko Kovac' men kick off mission title defence in the first DFB Cup round away to Energie Cottbus on Monday. fcbayern.com has compiled the facts and stats in the build-up to the match against the fourth-tier side.
First cup clash
Bayern and Cottbus have not met in the DFB Cup so far but clashed 12 times in the Bundesliga between 2000 and 2009. The last duel was more than ten years ago, Bayern winning 3-1 on the road. Thomas Müller was the only current FCB player featuring in the match, coming on in the closing stages. Bayern have won ten of the duels, boasting a win rate of 83 percent, higher than against any other Bundesliga side they have taken on at least ten times. The men from the Lausitz have prevailed in two matches, winning 1-0 in October 2000 and 2-0 in March 2008 at the Stadion der Freundschaft.
Last first-round exit a long time ago
The record cup winners were last eliminated in the first cup round 25 years ago, and they aim to continue their streak against Cottbus. Players like Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka or Serge Gnabry had not been born when Bayern lost 1-0 to TSV Vestenbergsgreuth on 14 August 1994, and they will do everything to prevent another embarassing entry in the history books.
Record holders not to be stopped on the road
The men from Munich extended their away record in last season's semi-finals, when they beat Bremen 3-2, prevailing in their 30th consecutive cup match on the road. The last time FCB were eliminated on foreign soil was in the 2008/09 quarter-finals, when they lost to Bayer Leverkusen.
1997 cup finalists
Cottbus' biggest success in the DFB Cup dates back to 1997, when the men from the Lausitz, a Regionalliga side at the time, advanced to the final but fell 2-0 to VfB Stuttgart. Claus-Dieter 'Pele' Wollitz' men have been unable to replicate such heroics in recent years. Energie have been eliminated in the first round in each of their last four cup campaigns. However, they have usually made a fist of it, losing only on penalties against Bundesliga sides SC Freiburg in 2018/19, VfB Stuttgart in 2017/18 and Hamburger SV in 2014/15.
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