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Bayer favorite? Alonso: "There are also St. Pauli and Düsseldorf"

Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Mönchengladbach: Only three first division clubs are still in the DFB Cup competition. League leaders Leverkusen now appear to be the clear favorites. But coach Xabi Alonso warns.

,   and  ZEITUNG «AUSSIEDLERBOTE»
2 min read
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso (r) celebrates the win with Jonathan Tah. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso (r) celebrates the win with Jonathan Tah. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

DFB Cup - Bayer favorite? Alonso: "There are also St. Pauli and Düsseldorf"

Record winners FC Bayern are out, defending champions RB Leipzig are out, runners-up Borussia Dortmund are out - but Xabi Alonso takes every opponent seriously.

"There's also St. Pauli, Fortuna Düsseldorf or Hertha," said the former world and European champion when asked whether he and Bayer Leverkusen are now the clear favorites in the DFB Cup. Bayer undoubtedly have this status. After all, apart from the Bundesliga leaders, only VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Mönchengladbach are still in the quarter-finals.

But that is warning enough for Alonso. "There are always surprises in the cup," he said. And then the Basque explained why he warns against the second division teams in particular: "I see the quality, they play good soccer. And the cup is a different competition."

Stanisic: "It's not far to Berlin"

Despite the 3:1 win in the round of 16, which was ultimately a fitting result, second-division runners-up SC Paderborn also showed this on Wednesday. "Going into half-time with 3:3 shots on goal in Leverkusen is something not quite so many have managed," said coach Lukas Kwasniok. The aim was to keep the game open for as long as possible, said the coach, "and not to box ourselves in like one or two Bundesliga teams did here". What Kwasniok did not say: Just like Dortmund three days earlier when they drew 1-1.

However, the second division teams are probably the lesser danger for Bayer. The bigger one is the Africa Cup in January, when five players will be missing for up to a month in goal scorer Victor Boniface, the set defenders Odilon Kossounou and Edmond Tapsoba as well as Nathan Tella and Amine Adli - and thus perhaps also the quarter-finals, which are still to be decided.

But one thing is clear: "It's not far to Berlin," said Bayern loanee Josip Stanisic, who has never experienced the final in the capital with Munich. But the Croatian also warned: "We still have to stay focused. No matter whether we're playing against a first, second or third division team."

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Source: www.stern.de

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