Via Berlin to Berlin: FC Bayern and the longing for the cup | OneFootball

FC Bayern want to reach the DFB Cup final for the first time since 2020 – and the way there leads via Berlin. Not only via the final in the Olympic Stadium, but also via the Alte Försterei on Wednesday evening, where Union Berlin await in the round of 16, an opponent who already stopped the Munich team in its tracks a few weeks ago.

Back then, on the 10th Bundesliga matchday, the impressive run of 16 consecutive wins in competitive matches came to an end. 2:2 against the Köpenickers was not only an intense, but also a cautionary duel – a match that impressively showed Bayern how dangerous Union can be and which details make the difference between winning and losing in the cup.

For sporting director Max Eberl, the slip-up in the league is not a disadvantage, on the contrary: „We know the Alte Försterei, we know the team. After the last game, Vinnie no longer has to raise his finger and warn us about what’s to come. Everyone knows that now – so I would see that as a small advantage,“ he explained at the pre-match press conference.

But before Kompany’s team return to the same venue on Wednesday (20:45, live on ZDF), it’s worth taking a closer look at the facts about the game. There are figures that are encouraging – and others that issue a clear warning.

Bayern are a force away from home in the cup

photo: Getty Images

FC Bayern and Union Berlin have never faced each other in the DFB Cup before, but the overall statistics are clearly in Munich’s favour: 13 competitive matches, eight wins, five draws – not a single defeat. The record champions only have a similar record against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen.

In the last 21 DFB Cup away games with Bundesliga teams, Bayern have only been eliminated once – 5-0 in Mönchengladbach in October 2021. Since then, the record cup winners have won four such games in a row, scoring at least four times each time. 17 goals in four games: a tremendous figure.

But here too, Union are a real threat at home. The Köpenickers have won all of their last four home cup games – a run that is all the more remarkable in comparison to the seven previous home defeats. The cup clash against the Eisern is therefore ideal for live sports betting.

The longing for Berlin

Five years without a cup final: by Bayern standards, that’s half an eternity. The last time they won the cup was in 2020, when they beat Leverkusen 4-2 under Hansi Flick. Since then, it’s been an early end: Munich have only reached the quarter-finals in one of the past five seasons. The mission is clear: this round of 16 match should not be the last cup tie in the capital.

Union scored both goals from set-pieces in the 2-2 draw in the league, and they have already scored several times this cup season: four goals from set-pieces, a league best, together with Hoffenheim. Bayern know that every throw-in, every corner and every free-kick is a potential risk.

Harry Kane: Bayern’s cup guarantee

What Union is to standards, Bayern is to Harry Kane. Four goals in the first two cup games, a brace in Wiesbaden and Cologne respectively. The Englishman leads the competition’s scoring charts – and has the chance to be the match-winner again on Wednesday.

The starting position is therefore clear: an opponent that has been dangerous for Bayern recently, a stadium that could turn into a cauldron and a record-breaking champion that is longing for Berlin more than it has for a long time. The path to the final leads through Union – and only through Union.