Nelson Valdez (l.) has switched sides
Nelson Valdez (l.) has switched sides

Trying to make amends

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In this second round Cup clash, two Bundesliga sides are trying to make up for recent disappointing performances.

Borussia Dortmund are trying make amends for two recent defeats: last Sunday's 1:4 result away to Hoffenheim and the 0:2 home defeat in the UEFA Cup against Udinese. Visitors Hertha BSC Berlin will try to prevent that happening.

Klopp demands more effort

BVB coach Jürgen Klopp says he wants to see more aggression. He will change his system of play, but hasn't revealed details. He'll be without Polish midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski and there are doubts over Florian Kringe, who captained the side against Hoffenheim.

The teams have met only once in the Cup. That was in the 1967/68 when Dortmund went through to the quarters 2:1. .

Hertha forced to make changes

Hertha coach Lucien Favre will be without Josip Simunic who's red-carded and Gojko Kacar throgh injury. He'll wait till final training before deciding whether Patrick Ebert is fit.

Says club chairman Dieter Hoeneß: "You could view it as an opportunity, but it could also be a risk." It will be down to us rather than our opponents, he adds. Either way, he's expecting a real cup spectacle in front of large crowd.

Hamburger SV - VfL Bochum

Smarting from a 3:0 drubbing at Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV are looking to pull themselves together against Bochum, says captain David Jarolim. And coach Martin Jol sees plenty of opportunity for improvement.

His Bochum counterpart Marcel Koller has no intention of going out of the cup in the second round and says the match could be a nail-biter : "We've got reliable penalty takers in the side and a keeper who's capable of stopping them." But he won't be playing for a penalty shoot-out. "That would be a mistake ," he says.

FC Oberneuland - VfL Wolfsburg

The real David und Goliath clash comes in the game between four division FC Oberneuland and Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg. Oberneuland's coach Mike Barten played his first Bundesliga game at Bremen when they wre led by current Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath. He says ironically: "We have no chance and want to use that chance."

Wolfsburg keeper Diego Benaglio knows they are the favourites and just wants to advance into the next round.

Kickers Offenbach - Karlsruher SC

Karlsruher SC are clear favourites against third division Kickers Offenbach. Says Karsruhe coach Edmund Becker: "Anything short a victory is unacceptable for me." But he says one needs to respect the Kickers. "The third division is professional these days. We're not dealing with a bunch of lads enjyoing an evening kick-about."


SV Wehen Wiesbaden - Alemannia Aachen

In a second divison duel, Wiesbaden are without midfielder Hajrudin Catic as they take on Alemannia. Both teams are smarting from defeat in the league competition.

Aachen coach Jürgen Seeberger knows this is a "winner takes all" game. "Staying in the cup over the winter is about money, prestige and boosting our morale for the second half of the season."