Giants, beware. Giant-slayers lurk in the dark.
Bayern Munich should know a thing or two about an early exit at the DFB-Pokal. The Rekordmeister was upset by second-division Holstein Kiel in 2021 and again by third-tier FC Saarbrücken in 2023 — one of three Bundesliga teams felled during Saarbrücken’s incredible run that year, alongside Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
That’s just how it is in the wild and unpredictable German cup. So the Bavarians would do well not to take Wednesday’s
opponents in the first round, 3. Liga side SV Wehen Wiesbaden, too lightly.
Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany said he’ll need to look up his opponents on a map — “I know it’s close to Frankfurt” — while acknowledging the danger.
Wehen, however, should know exactly where Bayern is.
That’s because current Wehen sporting director Uwe Stöver was actually at the helm at Holstein Kiel that day in 2021, when his side knocked off sextuple-winning Hansi Flick’s Bayern on penalties.
“That game was in January, the weather conditions were poor for football, and there were no spectators in the stadium,” Stöver reflected (via Web.de as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “FC Bayern didn’t even arrive until the day of the match. Luck was a bit on our side during the game to force extra-time and take it to a penalty shootout.
“Comparisons with back then don’t make sense, because that was a long time ago, and we were a second-division team with Kiel. What we can take from it, however, is that the lower division team has a chance on certain days — sometimes this chance is bigger, sometimes smaller. But that doesn’t change our attitude: we want to win the game.”
On Wednesday, he will get another chance at the German Goliath.
Bayern Munich is traveling to…“somewhere near Frankfurt” per head coach Vincent Kompany to take on SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the DFB-Pokal.
The Bavarians are riding high after taking down RB Leipzig 6-0 in the Bundesliga and will face the current 6th place team in 3. Liga. SV Wehen Wiesbaden is 1-1-1, featured a couple of ex-Bayern Munich academy products, and is not exactly a push over.
Let’s dive into it! This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with SV Wehen Wiesbaden.
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
