On the last day of the first round of DFB Pokal fixtures (14th August), third-division SC Paderborn will face second-division FC St. Pauli. Neither side has enjoyed much success in the DFB Pokal in their history - quite the opposite actually - but at least one of them will make it into the second round this time.
Eleven years ago, FC St. Pauli contested a DFB Pokal semi-final against overwhelming favourites Bayern Munich. The underdogs were beaten by the Bavarians 3-0 in front of 20,000 spectators at the Stadion am Millerntor. Since that memorable journey one step away from the final, the Pauli fans haven’t felt much Pokal fever. The club from Hamburg hasn’t gotten past the second round of the Cup since then, and on six occasions have been eliminated in their opening Pokal clash. Meanwhile, Paderborn’s record makes for even worse reading. From 27 attempts, they’ve only reached the round of 16 once, being knocked out in the second round ten times, and on 16 occasions in the first.
This time round, at least one of the sides will make it into the next stage of the competition. Most recently, Pauli and Paderborn have crossed paths in the 2. Bundesliga. From their last six encounters, the favourites from Northern Germany have only managed one win. The last clash ended in a spectacular 4-3 win for Paderborn.
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On the last day of the first round of DFB Pokal fixtures (14th August), third-division SC Paderborn will face second-division FC St. Pauli. Neither side has enjoyed much success in the DFB Pokal in their history - quite the opposite actually - but at least one of them will make it into the second round this time.
Eleven years ago, FC St. Pauli contested a DFB Pokal semi-final against overwhelming favourites Bayern Munich. The underdogs were beaten by the Bavarians 3-0 in front of 20,000 spectators at the Stadion am Millerntor. Since that memorable journey one step away from the final, the Pauli fans haven’t felt much Pokal fever. The club from Hamburg hasn’t gotten past the second round of the Cup since then, and on six occasions have been eliminated in their opening Pokal clash. Meanwhile, Paderborn’s record makes for even worse reading. From 27 attempts, they’ve only reached the round of 16 once, being knocked out in the second round ten times, and on 16 occasions in the first.
This time round, at least one of the sides will make it into the next stage of the competition. Most recently, Pauli and Paderborn have crossed paths in the 2. Bundesliga. From their last six encounters, the favourites from Northern Germany have only managed one win. The last clash ended in a spectacular 4-3 win for Paderborn.