The DFB Cup continues to throw up surprises, meaning Bayern face a wide range of possible opponents in the round of 16 following Wednesday’s 4-1 win at Köln in the second round. Take a closer look at some of the potential rivals for December’s fixtures, with the draw taking place on Sunday at the German Football Museum in Dortmund.
Who might Bayern face?
Borussia Dortmund
Clashes with Dortmund have extended across multiple competitions, including some memorable encounters in the DFB Cup. There was the 2016 final which Bayern edged on penalties, or the extra-time triumph in Berlin two years earlier when Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller struck in a 2-0 win. After BVB got through by beating Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties, will we now get a Klassiker in the round of 16?
RB Leipzig
Bayern met Leipzig in the 2019 final, prevailing 3-0 to lift the trophy. Die Roten Bullen then finally got their hands on the cup in 2022 and 2023. They’re a club that enjoy this competition and are again among the last 16 after a 4-1 win at Energie Cottbus.
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern love a cup run as well, even getting to the 2024 final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen. They also lost the 2003 final to Bayern thanks to a Michael Ballack brace and Claudio Pizarro strike. A certain Miroslav Klose for the Red Devils’ consolation in Berlin. Lautern have lifted the cup twice, in 1990 and 1996, but the head-to-head record in this competition is very much in Bayern’s favour, winning nine out of 10 ties with a goal difference of +21.
Freiburg
Bayern and Freiburg have met only twice before in the DFB Cup – both in the quarter-finals. The first encounter in 2005 was a one-sided affair as FCB won 7-0 after taking a 5-0 half-time lead. Pizarro scored four that day. However, the Black Forest club got revenge of sorts in 2023 when a penalty in the fifth minute of added time saw them come from behind to win 2-1 at the Allianz Arena.
Hertha Berlin
Hertha are always a dangerous opponent in the cup and have knocked out Bayern once before, winning 4-2 after extra-time in 1977. FCB have prevailed in the other three encounters but were always made to work for it. The most recent came in February 2019 when Serge Gnabry had levelled at 1-1 and then put the record winners 2-1 up in the round of 16. It then took a Kingsley Coman header in the eighth minute of extra-time to finally send Bayern through.
Bochum
Bochum were the last visiting club to win at the Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga, prevailing 3-2 in March. However, their record against Bayern in the DFB Cup is rather bleak, having won only one of seven ties (2-1 in May 1968). The most recent came in October 2019 when the Reds came from 1-0 down to win at the Ruhrstadion thanks to late goals from Gnabry and Müller.
Magdeburg
Magdeburg were a giant of East German football, winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1974. They have also produced a number of upsets in the DFB Cup since reunification. One of the most famous for the current Bundesliga 2 club came in November 2000. Hasan Salihamidzic had levelled for Bayern to take the game to extra-time and penalties, but Jens Jeremies and Giovane Elber both missed as Magdeburg – then in the fourth tier – went through.
Regardless of who Bayern get paired with, a new chapter in the thrilling history of the DFB Cup will be written when the last-16 draw is made on Sunday.
Bayern’s possible oppponents in the DFB Cup round of 16:
Bundesliga: Hamburg, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Borussia Mönchengladbach, St. Pauli, VfB Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg, Union Berlin
Bundesliga 2: Hertha Berlin, Holstein Kiel, Bochum, Kaiserslautern, Magdeburg, Darmstadt
Recap Bayern’s second-round victory here:
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