Can Bayern finally beat Union in the capital?

FC Bayern take on FC Union Berlin in the DFB Cup round of 16 on Wednesday evening. Historically, Bayern have dominated this fixture, remaining unbeaten in all 13 prior meetings with the Kopenick side. Yet, their most recent Bundesliga clash offered a reminder of Union’s formidable home form in the capital. Here’s what to expect ahead of the showdown.

Coming off a hard-fought 3-1 win over FC St. Pauli, Bayern now face another cup challenge. The weekend victory was secured only through two late goals in stoppage time, after Bayern struggled to break down a stubborn St. Pauli defence for long stretches.

A similar scenario played out four weeks ago, when Bayern eked out a draw against Union in Berlin after 16 consecutive wins. Back in early November, a Harry Kane header in the 93rd minute gave Bayern the three points, but a repeat of the 2-2 scoreline at the Alte Forsterei in the cup would now only take the game into extra time. Bayern will need to push harder if they want to avoid an early exit from the capital.

“Of course I want to go back to Berlin after the game,” said Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany. “You can always say you want to win everything—but I can’t talk us into the final. It takes work and attitude. If we show how hungry we are for the final, we’ll have a good chance.”

Bayern’s resilience against St. Pauli, bouncing back to claim victory late on, will give them confidence heading into this knockout tie. “We want to put in a strong performance and win. We’re ready for anything—90 minutes or another 30,” Kompany added.

Union Berlin, on the other hand, struggled in their dress rehearsal for this cup tie. Steffen Baumgart’s side fell 2-1 to bottom-placed 1. FC Heidenheim, ending a three-game unbeaten streak.

Leading until the 90th minute, Union were undone by a stoppage-time double from the visitors, a painful setback they must quickly move past. “We’ve just taken a major body blow and now have another highlight ahead of us,” said Baumgart.

In terms of availability, Bayern will be without Alphonso Davies, who is still regaining fitness following a cruciate ligament rupture, and Jamal Musiala, sidelined with an ankle dislocation and fibula fracture. Kompany confirmed that all other players are fit. Union Berlin continue to be without Robert Skov, Dmytro Bogdanov, and Andrik Markgraf due to injury.

GERMAN CUP - DFB POKAL

Round of 16

Tuesday

Hertha - Kaiserslautern 6-1 (3-1)

/Schuler 5, 60, Winkler 20, Eichhorn 31, Kownacki 75, Krattenmacher 80 - Ritter/

Monchengladbach - St. Pauli 1-2 (0-1)

/Tabakovic 56 - Kaars 43, Oppie 83/

Dortmund - Leverkusen 0-1 (0-1)

/Maza 34/

RB Leipzig - Magdeburg 3-1 (2-1)

/Nusa 19, Baumgartner 29, 54 - Gnaka 11 pen/

Wednesday

20.00: (7.75) Bochum (4.80) Stuttgart (1.40)

20.00: (1.63) Freiburg (4.20) Darmstadt (5.00)

22.45: (1.75) Hamburger (4.10) Holstein Kiel (4.25)

22.45: (9.00) Union Berlin (5.80) Bayern (1.30)

***odds are subject to change***