German Cup: Potential Bundesliga first-round upsets

Lok Leipzig vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Saturday, August 7, 13:30 UTC

While one cannot read too much into preseason friendlies, Leverkusen's preparations for the new season haven't looked promising. After a 5-1 loss to Dutch side Utrecht, goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky said his side have "a lot more to do."

New coach Gerardo Seoane is also dealing with a thin squad. Defender Jonathan Tah is serving a red-card suspension, while defender Edmond Tapsoda and striker Lucas Alario are out with injuries. The fact that midfield commander Charles Aranguiz, playmaker Nadiem Amiri and striker Patrik Schick missed a portion of preseason after playing in international tournaments doesn't make Seoane's job any easier.

Lok Leipzig, meanwhile, have been on the ascent. The club came close to promotion from the fourth-tier regional league to the national third division in 2019-20, and won the Saxony Cup last season to qualify for the first main round of the German Cup.

Leverkusen have lost to lower-tier sides in the Cup three of the last four seasons, and given their recent difficulties, Lok Leipzig may like their chances on Saturday.

Greifswalder FC vs. Augsburg

Saturday, August 7, 13:30 UTC

Griefswald haven't seen German Cup football in 25 years. The mayor of the northeastern German city, Stefan Fassbinder, is so excited that he hung the sign "We are Griefswald, we are GFC" on the city's most important cross.

Greifswalder FC is one of four teams from Germany's fifth-tier Oberliga playing in the German Cup. New coach Martin Schröder, who took over from Roland Kroos, the father of Real Madrid's Toni Kroos, before the season, leads a young side (average age of 24.2 years) into the competition.

Augsburg, their Bundesliga opponents, were eliminated in the first round in three of the previous six German Cup campaigns. The Bavarian side enter Saturday's tie with key players out, including Swiss sensation Ruben Vargas (red-card suspension) and veteran midfielders Daniel Caligiuri (COVID-19) and Tobias Strobl (ankle injury).

Fifth-division sides face long odds to advance, especially against Bundesliga opponents, but if the stars align just right, Griefswald just might make it happen.

Türkgücü Munich vs. Union Berlin

Sunday, August 8, 13:30 UTC

Union have been a revelation since first gaining promotion to the Bundesliga in 2019, capping their recent ascent last season when they qualified for the inaugural European Conference League.

But given the busy fixture list that awaits them, the "Irons" could benefit from one competition fewer this season. This is especially true given the fact that several players, including captain Christopher Trimmel, midfielder Keita Endo and veteran forward Max Kruse, had busy summers with their respective national teams.

The beneficiaries could be Türkgücü Munich, a third-division side founded by Turkish immigrants. The club has started the new League 3 season with two draws after decent results in preseason. A first-round German Cup upset on Sunday would be an uplifting story for the club given its recent drama with chief investor Hasan Kivran, who looked to sell his share in the club earlier this year before backtracking.

Kaiserslautern vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach

Monday, August 9, 18:45 UTC

New coach Adi Hütter was a hot commodity before his move to Borussia Mönchengladbach after last season. The Austrian coach, who won Austrian and Swiss first division titles before moving to Germany, impressed in his three seasons with Eintracht Frankfurt, reaching the Europa League semifinals in 2018-19 and coming close to qualifying for the Champions League last season.

Similar exploits are expected from him with Gladbach, but they may not come right away. Like other Bundesliga clubs on this list, many in Hütter's side had busy offseasons and joined preseason preparations late after partaking in Euro 2020. Key players, including left-back Ramy Bensebaini, midfielder Denis Zakaria and strikers Alessane Plea and Breel Embolo, have also been ruled out for Monday's contest.

Meanwhile, Kaiserslautern, a storied German club, are no strangers to first-round upsets, having knocked out regional rival Mainz two years ago. They have yet to score in two League 3 games this season, but went unbeaten in their preseason friendlies. A few of their starters, including Hendrick Zuck, Marlon Ritter and Felix Götze (younger brother of Mario Götze) have even had a taste of Bundesliga football.