German second-tier outfits Kaiserslautern and Nuremberg will go head-to-head at Fritz-Walter-Stadion on Tuesday evening for a spot in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal.
Kaiserslautern overcame FC Koln in the last stage of the competition, while Nuremberg navigated their way past Hansa Rostock to advance to the round of 16.
Match preview
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Kaiserslautern secured a return to Germany's second tier for the 2022-23 campaign, finishing ninth in the 2. Bundesliga, while they are currently down in 13th in the table this season, picking up 18 points from their opening 15 matches of the campaign.
Dirk Schuster's side will actually enter this match off the back of a four-game losing run in the league, including a 4-1 defeat at Magdeburg on Saturday.
Indeed, the team's last success proved to be their triumph in the previous stage of the DFB-Pokal, beating FC Koln 3-2 to claim a Bundesliga scalp and advance to the round of 16.
Kaiserslautern actually reached the semi-finals of this competition back in 2013-14, while they are two-time winners of the tournament, lifting the trophy in both 1990 and 1996.
The Red Devils have already overcome Nuremberg in the league this season, recording a 3-1 success at the start of September, while they are unbeaten against Tuesday's opponents since July 2017.
Nuremberg, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 5-0 home defeat to Fortuna Dusseldorf in the second tier of German football on Saturday.
Cristian Fiel's side are currently 11th in the 2. Bundesliga table, two positions and three points above their opponents in the German Cup on Tuesday night.
Der Club are without a victory in their last two matches, with their last success proving to be a 3-1 win over Paderborn in the league on November 11, while they have had to win two games to advance to this stage of the DFB-Pokal.
Nuremberg were 9-1 winners over Oberneuland before beating Hansa Rostock 3-2 in the competition last time out to progress to the round of 16.
Der Ruhmreiche have won the German Cup on four previous occasions, lifting the trophy in 1935, 1939, 1962 and 2007, while they have been runners-up on two occasions in 1940 and 1982.
Team News
Kaiserslautern will be without the services of two players on Tuesday evening through injury, with Aaron Opoku missing due to a knee problem, while leading goalscorer Ragnar Ache has a foot issue.
There is a strong chance that head coach Schuster could select the XI that took to the field for the first whistle against FC Koln in the last round of the competition due to the impressive performance.
Richmond Tachie has scored three times this season and is set to feature in the final third of the field, while Terrence Boyd is also expected to be given the nod in an attacking area.
As for the visitors, Jens Castrop, James Lawrence, Joseph Hungbo and Christopher Schindler are unavailable for selection due to fitness problems.
Meanwhile, Jannes Horn will not feature for Nuremberg due to a suspension, which is expected to open the door for Ahmet Gurleyen to come into the starting side in defence.
Can Uzun has been in excellent scoring form this season, finding the back of the net on nine occasions, and the 18-year-old will again feature in the final third of the field.
Kaiserslautern possible starting lineup:
Krahl; Elvedi, Kraus, Soldo; Zimmer, Raschl, Tomiak, Redondo; Ritter, Boyd, Tachie
Nuremberg possible starting lineup:
Mathenia; Gyamerah, Marquez, Gurleyen, Handwerker; Castrop, Flick; Goller, Schleimer, Okunuki; Uzun
We say: Kaiserslautern 2-1 Nuremberg
This is a really difficult match to call, as there is not an awful lot between the two teams in terms of quality. We are expecting a tight game on Tuesday but are backing Kaiserslautern to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition courtesy of a 2-1 success.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
