The stage is set as Augsburg take on Bayern Munich for the Round of 32 of the DFB Pokal. Augsburg might have taken the lead against Cologne, yet it was not enough eventually as they lost the game 3-2. It was however, their first defeat in six games, with Augsburg currently in mid table despite being tipped to struggle this season. On the downside, their recent performances at the WWK Arena have not raised much optimism, with the team losing five of their last eight in front of their own fans. They did beat Bayern there at the end of October however, with their 1-0 victory surely being the highlight of their season so far.
For Bayern Munich, the Cup has been highlighted again as a main target after embarrassing eliminations in recent years have indicated that it might not feature high among the Bavarian club’s decision-makers. It has surely been a special season for Bayern Munich this year, which has been characterised by imperious form in Europe but shaky performances in the domestic sphere, where they find themselves trailing four points behind leaders Union Berlin. With regards to their cup exploits, Bayern easily emerged as winners from their tie against Viktoria Koln in the previous round, yet have won just two of their last five games on the road. In another intriguing statistic, Augsburg tend to get the better of Bayern in their home games of late, having won their last two meetings at the WWK against them, losing just one of their last four.