Dortmund-Leipzig
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Five facts about the DFB Cup final in Berlin
As is well known, the cup has its own laws. Just like this finale its own facts. Who the spectators want to see win and why Julian Nagelsmann could only just miss a record.
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1. No spectators
The vaccination rate is increasing, the number of cases is falling, but the 2021 DFB Cup final will still have to do without spectators. Due to the current regulations, a timely application is not possible, the German Football Association reported at the end of April.
Last year, the final took place without spectators. Back then, FC Bayern Munich won 4-2 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The 7.01 million viewers of the ARD broadcast corresponded to a market share of 26.6 percent, but were also the weakest value in recent years. It is questionable whether this was due to the lack of atmosphere in the stands or rather to the expected dominance of the favorites from Munich. For comparison: the top value dates back to 2014, when Bayern only won 2-0 after extra time over Dortmund, who were playing at eye level.
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2. Thursday instead of Saturday
No, the DFB did not get the day of the week wrong. The cup final always took place on a Saturday, this year it’s different. The final will be played on Thursday on Ascension Day, before the end of the league season. In addition, this time the whistle will not be kicked off until 8:45 p.m.
The reason for the unusual day is the tight schedule, which in turn is due to the late start of the season due to the pandemic. Since shortly after the end of the season the national teams are out of action before the European Championships, there weren’t many appointments.
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3. Leipzig versus Dortmund
The dress rehearsal of the final went to Dortmund. BVB won 3-2 (1-0) against Leipzig last weekend, and that without their injured top striker Erling Haaland. The Norwegian, who is now back in team training, should be in the starting XI on Thursday. And even if his team recently averaged four goals per game without him, the current leader in the Champions League scorer list (10 goals) will certainly strengthen the offensive of the black and yellow.
Overall, the statistics speak for the four-time cup winner from Dortmund. The team from the Ruhr area has won six of the ten previous duels against Leipzig. Leipzig won two games, two ended in a draw.
And the favor of German football fans is also on the side of BVB. In a representative FanQ survey commissioned by the sports information service, 69 percent of those surveyed begrudge Borussia the title. Only 30 percent hope for a victory for Leipzig. The image of the Red Bull-sponsored club is rated as poor by 65 percent of the more than 1,200 participants. Of the 37 percent of respondents who consume energy drinks, 42 percent said they drink less Red Bull because of the sponsorship. Almost two-thirds (65 percent), on the other hand, praised the sporting work of the Saxons, while 64 percent criticized the structures and orientation of the Red Bulls.
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4th European Cup place
If both finalists are already taken care of, a third club will be happy. RB Leipzig has already qualified for the Champions League via the Bundesliga. Dortmund will end the season in at least fifth place. Therefore, the starting place in the European Cup goes to the league. The clubs in 5th and 6th place will play in the newly designed Europa League. The seventh-placed team will be in the Europa Conference League for the first time this year. Currently that would be Borussia Mönchengladbach, but 1. FC Union is currently level on points behind them.
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5. The trainers
The DFB Cup would be the first title in men’s football for both Dortmund’s Edin Terzic and Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann. While Nagelsmann became German champion with the TSG Hoffenheim youth team in 2014 and led Leipzig to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, this is Terzic’s first job as head coach. Previously, the native of Menden was on the road as an assistant coach. Among other things, alongside Croatia’s ex-national coach Slaven Bilic at Besiktas Istanbul (Turkey) and West Ham United (England).
Should Nagelsmann win the final, he would be the second youngest coach in the history of the DFB Cup at 33 years and 294 days. Only Nuremberg coach Alwin Riemke was younger, who won over Waldhof Mannheim in 1940 at the age of just 30 years and 86 days. At 38 years and 195 days, Edin Terzic would “only” be twelfth in this list.
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Broadcast: rbb UM6, May 12, 2021, 6 p.m
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