Arminia Bielefeld vs Werder Bremen DFB Pokal quarterfinal preview: Can Bielefeld keep their cup dream alive? | OneFootball

Arminia Bielefeld

You wouldn’t expect to see a third-division side at this stage of the DFB Pokal.

However, that’s the story of Arminia Bielefeld, who are playing the role of Cinderella in this year’s edition of the tournament. Their first upset came in the second round, as they defeated 2. Bundesliga outfit Hannover 96 at home.

Bielefeld were dealt a real tough draw in the following round, as they had to take on Union Berlin. However, the final result remained the same as they secured another 2-0 victory.

Then came their biggest test. They were given another home contest, but this one was against Freiburg, a team with plenty of talent and European experience. No one was expecting them to advance once again.

Bielefeld kept up their new tradition, though, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. However, things went differently this time around, as they conceded their first goal in cup place. Surely it was only a matter of time before normalcy took over and Freiburg scored again to tie the matchup.

Instead Arminia found the dagger, restoring their two-goal lead after a thunderbolt from Louis Oppie. That proved to be enough to book their place in the final eight versus Bremen.

They will go into this contest as the underdog once again, but that isn’t going to phase them in the slightest. The SchücoArena has become their fortress in the Pokal, and they aren’t going to let anyone come in and knock them out without a fight.

Bielefeld will also fancy their chances thanks to the recent form of both teams. They’ve won in a row, and they sit four points behind the promotion-playoff spot in the 3. Liga. Their opposition, meanwhile, have only won a single game this calendar year.

The magic of the cup sometimes makes strange things happen, and Die Blauen will plan on dreaming just a little bit longer.

Team newsBielefeld have a clean bill of health going into the contest.

Werder Bremen

Bremen’s run to this stage has admittedly been a lot easier.

They began with an away day to Energie Cottbus of the third-division. It took Werder some time to get going, but debutant Keke Topp went on to grab a hat-trick in the span of a half hour. That was enough to secure a relatively comfortable victory.

Die Werderaner had to fight much more in their next tie, which was on the road to 2. Bundesliga outfit Paderborn. The opposition were better for long stretches of proceedings, but a silly defensive mistake gave Bremen the lead, and they survived the rest of the time to earn a place in the round of 16.

The Green-Whites got a home game, but that didn’t make things any easier versus Darmstadt. It was a classic cup affair, tight and tense and close throughout. Things seemed destined for overtime, but that wasn’t to be as Anthony Jung scored a winner from a set-piece in the 94th minute.

That has led them to this stage, and it’s a big stage. They haven’t been to the semifinals in four years, and their last DFB Pokal victory came in 2009. Werder’s fanbase have been waiting for silverware for so long, and they’re also desperate to see their team become one of the best in Germany once again.

It will be a while until that happens, but some silverware this season would go a long way. They will have to dig themselves out of a hole, as their aforementioned record this calendar year has been shocking.

However, if they can play to the level they know they can, then Bremen will expect to find themselves in the semifinals.

Team newsWerder are still missing their captain Marco Friedl, while Keke Topp and Milos Veljkovic are also out with injury.