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Looking forward to FC Bayern: Julian Günther-Schmidt, Kai Brünker, Luca Kerber and Naifi Amine (from left to right) from 1.
Photograph:
Andreas Schlichter / Getty Images
In the second round of the DFB-Pokal, there will be four duels between Bundesliga clubs. Defending champions RB Leipzig have to play at VfL Wolfsburg, the surprise team of VfB Stuttgart meets Union Berlin. In addition, Borussia Mönchengladbach will host newly promoted Heidenheim and the other Borussia Dortmund will play at home against TSG Hoffenheim.
However, 1. FC Saarbrücken drew the big draw, as the third-division club challenges record cup winners FC Bayern Munich on 31 October or 1 November. The corresponding ball was taken out of the drum by 2014 World Cup winner Shkodran Mustafi in the Dortmund Football Museum. It is the first competitive match between the two clubs in 30 years.
"This is the absolute blast, the most difficult task," said Saarbrücken coach Rüdiger Ziehl on Sunday in the ARD sports show, "a super opponent, full stadium, we will try everything." The last remaining fourth-division club FC Homburg, on the other hand, did not exactly catch a dream: it receives the second division club SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
Three games with second-division participation are much more sonorous. League leaders FC St. Pauli meet FC Schalke 04, in the league the Hamburg had recently won 3-1, after which Schalke coach Thomas Reis was suspended. Hamburger SV plays at Arminia Bielefeld and the Red Devils from Kaiserslautern expect good outsider chances against 1.
The DFB-Pokal winner will be rewarded with a starting right in the Europa League. If he has already qualified for the Europa League or the Champions League via the league route, the place will be allocated via the Bundesliga final table. The loser of the cup final will not receive a starting place. The entry into the round of 862 brings 400,<> euros each.
The other fixtures in the DFB-Pokal:
Viktoria Köln - Eintracht Frankfurt
SpVgg Unterhaching - Fortuna Düsseldorf
1. FC Nürnberg - Hansa Rostock
Holstein Kiel - 1. FC Magdeburg
SC Freiburg - SC Paderborn
Hertha BSC - FSV Mainz 05
SV Sandhausen - Bayer Leverkusen
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