200 kilometres and two leagues separate Eintracht Norderstedt and VfL Wolfsburg before their clash in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Sunday 13th August at 15:30 CEST. You’d think there would be few issues between the clubs but, for two Norderstedt players, the game versus the Wolves at the Edmund Plambeck Stadium has personal significance.
One of those players is goalkeeper Johannes Höcker who featured for the Bayern Munich youth team and reserves until 2005. He has a personal agenda against Wolfsburg’s Germany international Mario Gomez. Following the draw, Höcker explained to the ‘Hamburger Morgenpost’: “I’m looking forward to facing Mario Gomez. I lost to him and the VfB Stuttgart youth team while playing for the Bayern academy quite a few times. It’s time to put that to an end.” Also, the game has resonance for Norderstedt captain Philipp Koch too: “It’s a great draw. Unfortunately, my girlfriend is a fan of Gomez.”
On paper, Wolfsburg are clear favourites and usually have success in the DFB-Pokal. The crowning glory was Wolfsburg’s victory in the 2015 final versus Borussia Dortmund. Before that victory, Wolfsburg reached subsequent semi-finals yet, more recently, Bayern Munich have hindered their progress in 2016 and 2017. Eintract Norderstadt can only dream of such results as their only German cup run thus far was swiftly ended in the first round by SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
200 kilometres and two leagues separate Eintracht Norderstedt and VfL Wolfsburg before their clash in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Sunday 13th August at 15:30 CEST. You’d think there would be few issues between the clubs but, for two Norderstedt players, the game versus the Wolves at the Edmund Plambeck Stadium has personal significance.
One of those players is goalkeeper Johannes Höcker who featured for the Bayern Munich youth team and reserves until 2005. He has a personal agenda against Wolfsburg’s Germany international Mario Gomez. Following the draw, Höcker explained to the ‘Hamburger Morgenpost’: “I’m looking forward to facing Mario Gomez. I lost to him and the VfB Stuttgart youth team while playing for the Bayern academy quite a few times. It’s time to put that to an end.” Also, the game has resonance for Norderstedt captain Philipp Koch too: “It’s a great draw. Unfortunately, my girlfriend is a fan of Gomez.”
On paper, Wolfsburg are clear favourites and usually have success in the DFB-Pokal. The crowning glory was Wolfsburg’s victory in the 2015 final versus Borussia Dortmund. Before that victory, Wolfsburg reached subsequent semi-finals yet, more recently, Bayern Munich have hindered their progress in 2016 and 2017. Eintract Norderstadt can only dream of such results as their only German cup run thus far was swiftly ended in the first round by SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
