DFB-Pokal Preview: Energie Cottbus vs. RB Leipzig | OneFootball

Energie Cottbus

Early 3. Liga leaders Energie Cottbus head into their showdown with Leipzig full of confidence that an upset could be on the cards. Claus-Dieter Wollitz’s side sit one point clear at the top of the table and come into Tuesday’s tie riding a five-match winning streak, including a thrilling 4-3 home victory over TSV Havelse at the weekend.

Energie earned their place in the second round with one of the standout results of the opening round, eliminating the then in-form 2. Bundesliga side Hannover 96 1-0 thanks to Tolcay Ciğerci’s first-half strike and a disciplined defensive display.

Head coach Claus-Dieter Wollitz believes his team can make life difficult for the favourites:

"I don't think we're intimidated. On the contrary, we should absorb the situation, and should also incorporate our personal table situation into this game. Of course, the chances are small, but we can make sure that maybe the chances in the game get bigger. For this we need a perfect organization, perfect balance and hopefully the right lineup.”

Cottbus famously reached the DFB-Pokal final as a third-tier side back in 1996/97 - a distant memory now, but one that fuels belief that magic can still happen under the lights. The club haven’t progressed beyond the second round in their last 11 attempts, a run they’ll be desperate to end on Tuesday evening.

Team news: 

Jonas Hoffmann, Ted Tattermusch and Elias Bethke are unavailable for the home side. 

RB Leipzig

Leipzig head into the Pokal in strong form themselves, unbeaten in seven games since their opening-day defeat to Bayern Munich. Under Ole Werner, Die Roten Bullen look increasingly cohesive, underlined by their emphatic 6-0 win away to Augsburg on Saturday.

Their first-round tie proved trickier than expected, as they were held 2-2 by Regionalliga side SV Sandhausen at half-time before ultimately prevailing 4-2. Leipzig will be wary but confident - they’ve won each of their last 15 Pokal matches against lower-league opposition.

Head coach Ole Werner is under no illusion of the task awaiting them on Tuesday: 

“It's a knock-out game against the top team in the third division. That is by no means an easy task. We'll make sure that we're as prepared as we possibly can be. We're going into the game as favourites and we're embracing this role. Of course, the underdog will always try to put up a fight with the whole public behind them.”

Four-time finalists and two-time Pokal winners, Leipzig will aim to better last season’s semi-final exit to eventual champions Stuttgart. Despite their pedigree, they’ve been knocked out at this stage in six of their 13 previous Pokal campaigns.

Team news: 

Benjamin Henrichs, Kosta Nedeljković and Viggo Gebel miss out, while Max Finkgräfe has returned to training and could feature in the matchday squad.

H-2-H record

This will be the first competitive meeting between Energie Cottbus and RB Leipzig. However, Ole Werner has faced Claus-Dieter Wollitz and Energie twice before - winning both encounters.

Predicted lineups

Energie Cottbus (4-4-2 Diamond): Funk (GK) - Rorig, Manu, Campulka, Lucoqui - Pelivan - Hannemann, Borgmann - Cigerci - Thiele, Engelhardt 

RB Leipzig (4-3-3): Vandevoordt (GK) - Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum - Seiwald, Ouédraogo, Baumgartner - Diomande, Rômulo, Nusa