Bayern Munich will face Hertha Berlin at the Olympiastadion in the next round of the DFB Pokal, which will take place in early February.
The next opponent for Bayern Munich’s DFB Pokal campaign was revealed on Sunday. The Bavarians are set to face their fellow Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin at the Olympiastadion in the round of 16 of the cup competition, which will take place on February 5th or 6th.
Bayern Munich had to work hard to win in their past two DFB Pokal matches. The Bavarians clinched a narrow 1-0 win Dorchtersen/Assel at the start of the season. Then, in the round of 32, Bayern were made to fight for a win yet again by SV Rodinghausen.
Bayern have not won the DFB Pokal in the past two seasons, so this trophy will be even more important for Niko Kovac and Co.
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Hertha Berlin, on the other hand, have also had to work hard to win in their respective DFB Pokal games this season. They clinched a late winner against Eintracht Braunshweig in their first cup game of the season, before cruising to a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Darmstadt. They have been in fine form this season and a maiden DFB Pokal trophy will be one of their main targets this season.
Bayern didn’t have a happy trip to Berlin earlier this season. The defending Bundesliga champions succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against the Berlin side last month. It was Bayern’s first defeat in the Bundesliga this season.
The Bavarians will have to be at their best in February to progress to the next round of DFB Pokal. If Bayern continue to remain a fragile team like they are right now, then Hertha will have a great chance to clinch a victory in this fixture.
Niko Kovac is under immense pressure, despite his side winning four of their last five games across all competitions. Die Roten delivered yet another underwhelming performance against Freiburg on Saturday. They were unable to grind out another victory, as Freiburg clinched a late equalizer shortly after Serge Gnabry put his side ahead. Bayern consequently slipped to third place in the league, trailing Borussia Dortmund by five points and behind Borussia Monchengladbach on goal differential.
The Bavarians have failed to look truly dominant in any match since the Supercup win at the start of the season. Their consistent problems in both boxes have cost them points in the Bundesliga this season. Manuel Neuer has kept only two clean sheets in the league this season. They have continually leaked goals, and their conversion rate on the opposite end has deteriorated lately as well. Kovac would like to make a complete turnaround by the time they face Hertha Berlin for the second time this season.