Bayern set for cup opener at Wiesbaden: Accept the challenge and live up to favourites status

FC Bayern’s cup campaign begins with a meeting at third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden on Wednesday night (live text and free Web Radio commentary from 20:45 CEST on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app). We’ve put together all the important info on the match for you in our preview.

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The record cup winners against a team from the third division – on paper it looks like a one-sided match-up for Bayern in the new edition of the cup. Vincent Kompany’s side will be hoping the cliché about the cup having its own laws doesn’t apply here and that they live up to their status as favourites. “We know we're the best team in Germany in terms of quality – and we don’t want to hide that either,” declared the head coach in the pre-match press conference. The crucial thing is that nobody believes they can take it easy against a team from the third division. “The motivation always needs to be there, not just in the big games but also against lower-league teams - only then can you avoid slip-ups,” added the Belgian.

Read the main quotes from the press conference here:

However, it's also true that FCB have experienced what it’s like to falter in the cup in recent years. Since the last triumph five years ago, the Munich men haven’t made it to the final in Berlin. The hunger to get back there is therefore great. “You feel that in the whole club,” said sporting director Christoph Freund. The first step on a hopefully long cup journey comes in Wiesbaden. If Bayern perform with the same concentration and conviction as they have in the first two competitive matches of the season (two wins, 8-1 goal difference), then there’s no stopping them.

The facts on the clash with Wehen Wiesbaden:

The opponents: Wehen Wiesbaden

At Wehen Wiesbaden, they’re fine with the label of underdogs. Making battle cries and saying you want to match the opponents is banned, highlighted head coach Nils Döring. Not least because cup upsets have eluded the Hessian club in recent years: Wiesbaden have been knocked out in the first round in each of their last three appearances in the competition and haven’t reached the second round since the 2020/21 season, when they beat then Bundesliga 2 side Heidenheim. However, Döring is sure that his team will give the German champions a real fight. “I don’t need to motivate the boys for that – on the contrary, I sometimes need to restrain them,” revealed the 45-year-old. “It’s important to keep a cool head and concentrate on your own strengths, because the team can pull off something special on a special day.”

An analysis of the pre-season, transfers, possible line-up and tactical setup of our upcoming opponents:

The team news

Manuel Neuer is suspended after his sending-off in the round of 16 last season. Long-term absentees Alphonso Davies (cruciate ligament rupture), Hiroki Ito (metatarsal fracture) and Jamal Musiala (dislocated ankle and fractured fibula) remain sidelined. Tom Bischof is also unavailable after his appendix operation. Otherwise, “everyone who's been available recently is still available”, confirmed Kompany. Leon Goretzka, who picked up a slight knock in the Bundesliga opener against RB Leipzig, is expected to be fit.

For the hosts, Florian Hübner (back), Robin Kalem (groin), Orestis Kiomourtzoglou (muscle strain) and Ben Nink (muscle strain) are sidelined. A late call will be made on Sascha Mockenhaupt (muscular problems), said Döring.

What the coaches say