Next stop: Berlin! On Wednesday evening, FC Bayern host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup (live ticker and free Webradio on fcbayern.com from 20:45 CEST), in a meeting of the winners from the previous two years. The target for the German record champions, who are unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions, is clear: to reach the final for the 24th time, which this year will be played on 4 July at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
The two sides met in the league just two and a half weeks ago, with Bayern comfortably winning 5-2.
The situation
This is the sixth meeting between the two teams in the competition, and takes place seven weeks after the original date due to the coronavirus crisis. The last one was the final in 2018, which Bayern lost 3-1. “We still remember the final in Berlin which we lost. We don’t want to experience that again at the Allianz Arena,” warned Manuel Neuer. “We’re determined to get to the final and to have the chance of winning the cup in Berlin again.”
The sides’ last encounter in the Bundesliga was just two and a half weeks ago, which Hansi Flick’s side eventually won 5-2 after a topsy-turvy contest. But this result has no bearing on Wednesday, as Flick stressed in his pre-match press conference: “Frankfurt have a huge amount of experience, particularly with cup games whether it’s in the Europa League or also in the cup. They can turn up when it matters, and that’s what I’m expecting.” The Hessians have “tremendous quality and play with a lot of passion”, added Flick. “They put the opposition under pressure and hunt for every ball. We need to be focussed and keep mistakes to a minimum.”
Full focus on the semi-final – here are the best images from Bayern’s training session on Tuesday:
Gallery: Final training before the cup semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt
The opposition
Eintracht’s record since the Bundesliga restart a month ago reads two wins, one draw and three defeats. The Eagles find themselves in mid-table on 35 points, with qualification for the Europa League only theoretically possible. The DFB Cup is therefore Frankfurt’s best chance of playing European football again next season, but to do that, the 2018 winners must triumph on Wednesday evening.
“Bayern are absolutely flying at the moment but it’s a cup tie, so anything is possible. We’re the outsiders but we want to seize our opportunity,” said Sebastian Rode. The ex-Bayern midfielder knows that Eintracht will need “an absolutely perfect day”, as they had in the previous rounds against last year’s runners-up RB Leipzig (3-1) and Werder Bremen (2-0). “We’ve already shown this season that we can beat anyone on our day, but on a bad day we can just as easily lose to anyone.”
Team news
Flick has the same players to pick from as he did for Saturday’s impressive 4-2 win in the league at Bayer Leverkusen. However, he wouldn’t reveal whether he’ll make any chances to his starting line-up. “It might be that I change one or two, but that’s not yet decided,” he said on Tuesday. The Bayern boss will be without Michaël Cuisance (stomach bug) along with recovering trio Niklas Süle (rehab after ACL tear), Corentin Tolisso (ankle surgery) and Philippe Coutinho (rehab after ankle surgery).
The visitors from Frankfurt will be without star man Filip Kostic (three goals and two assists in the cup this season) following his red card in the quarter-finals. Gelson Fernandes (calf injury) and Goncalo Paciencia (muscle injury) are also out, but captain David Abraham could return to the side having been rested against Mainz on Saturday.
“The team spirit is very good at the moment,” said Hansi Flick on the mood in the camp after 20 matches without defeat.
What the coaches say
Hansi Flick: “We’re approaching the game like any other. We’re analysing Frankfurt for the third time already this season. They can hurt you a lot and they’re particularly dangerous from set pieces. We have to be very focussed over 90 minutes – or longer. The team know about Frankfurt’s strengths but also know about their own. We clearly want to win the game and get to the final, but it won’t be easy.”
Adi Hütter, Eintracht Frankfurt coach: “We’re well-prepared for tomorrow’s match from the league game in Munich two weeks ago. It’s obvious that Bayern are favourites, as they always are. They’re an almost impossible team to suss out and are currently in a league of their own. Nevertheless, we’re going to Munich in the hope of maybe achieving the impossible. The team are up for it and ready to give it everything they’ve got to cause an upset.”
Top fact
The chances of the semi-final ending in a goalless draw are very low. Bayern have found the net in each of their last 21 cup ties, scoring an average of three goals per game. Their last goalless match in the cup was the 2016 final against Borussia Dortmund, which the Reds won 4-3 on penalties. Eintracht have also scored in their last 15 cup outings; their last blank was a 0-0 draw against Ingolstadt in the second round of the 2016/17 campaign, before winning 4-1 in the shootout.
More facts and figures ahead of Wednesday’s cup clash here:
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