DFB Cup

Quarter-finals

KSV Kiel Holstein Kiel - VFB Stuttgart VfB Stuttgart

Kiel Holstein Kiel

Stuttgart VfB Stuttgart

90' +2'
A. Karazor
89'
C. Führich
56'
D. Undav

Holstein-Stadion(Sold out)

Tobias Welz

Full-time: Kiel 0-3 Stuttgart

The final score is harsh on Kiel, who were still in this game until Führich added to Undav's second-half opener in the 90th minute. Karazor's unconventional effort was the icing on the cake for the holders, who join Leverkusen in the last four.

Full-time

90'

+ 3

It's three!

Karazor adds gloss to the scoreline, although he doesn't know much about it! The Stuttgart captain takes a tumble as he attempts to take the ball around Weiner but, as the ball strikes Karazor's hip as he falls to the ground and trickles over the goal-line before the Kiel goalkeeper can react.

90'

+ 3

SituationGoal

ReviewOffside?

DecisionGoal

90'

+ 2

Atakan Karazor

GOAL!

0:3

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

19 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

8.08 m

90'

+ 1

Substitution

Finn Jeltsch

Bilal El Khannouss

90'

+ 1

Substitution

Chema Andrés

Angelo Stiller

90'

+ 1

Substitution

Badredine Bouanani

Chris Führich

90'

Stuttgart double lead

All over? Führich makes no mistake this time, racing onto Undav's pass before rounding the goalkeeper and calmly slotting the ball into the empty net from a tight angle. Stuttgart are all but through to the semi-finals.

89'

Chris Führich

GOAL!

0:2

Goal probability

72 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

7.61 m

88'

Führich denied

Führich has a chance to seal the win on the counter-attack, but after cutting inside onto his right foot the winger sends his low shot straight into Weiner's arms.

86'

Instant impact

Müller is involved immediately, but his powerful drive from the edge of the area is deflected over the bar for a corner, which comes to nothing.

85'

Substitution

Marcus Müller

Ivan Nekic

85'

Substitution

Niklas Niehoff

Andu Kelati

83'

Double change

Müller and Niehoff are about to come on.

81'

Leweling departs

Demirović is on for the final few minutes. Kiel are getting ready to make another double change.

81'

Substitution

Ermedin Demirović

Jamie Leweling

80'

Stuttgart survive!

Nübel does well to hold onto Jakupovic's shot from the edge of the area, but the Kiel substitute goes close again moments later. The home side intercept a Stuttgart clearance and Harres flicks the ball into the path of the Slovenian, who can only steer his shot wide of the far post.

77'

Can Kiel respond?

Time is running out for the home side. As it stands, Stuttgart are joining Leverkusen in the last four.

75'

Weiner to the rescue

El Khannouss's cross is cut out by Tolkin, but the Moroccan pounces on the loose ball before the home side can clear the danger. He takes a touch and lets fly, but his right-footed effort is parried wide by Weiner.

73'

No space to shoot

Leweling tries to wriggle his way into the Kiel area but is crowded out on the edge of the box.

72'

Deserved lead

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

Stuttgart are good value for their 1-0 lead, but Kiel are still in this.

xGoals

0.45

1.12

Goals

71'

Corner cleared

Therkelsen and Jakupovic replace Kaprálik and Davidsen. The home side win a corner moments later but Tolkin's delivery is easily dealt with.

70'

Substitution

Jonas Therkelsen

Kasper Davidsen

70'

Substitution

Aldin Jakupovic

Adrián Kaprálik

67'

Substitutions incoming

Into the final quarter of the 90. Kiel are preparing to make a couple of changes.

65'

Caught offside

Harres escapes the attention of the Stuttgart defence but the linesman's flag is up - the Kiel striker was just offside from Davidsen's pass.

62'

Visitors in control

Stuttgart are pushing for a second goal. Undav manages to pounce on a loose ball inside the Kiel area but is penalised for handball.

Racking up the goals

That was Undav's 15th of the campaign in all competitions. Two of those have come in the DFB Cup - he also found the net against Bochum in the last round.

58'

Weiner soldiering on

Undav collided with Weiner just as he was about to prod the ball into the far corner. The Kiel goalkeeper takes a minute or two to get back to his feet.

Stuttgart take the lead!

The visitors win another free-kick and Stiller's whipped delivery is met by Karazor, who manages to nod the ball across to Undav. The striker is surrounded by several Kiel defenders but manages to get a toe to the ball, prodding it into the corner of the net. Advantage Stuttgart!

56'

Deniz Undav

GOAL!

0:1

Goal probability

42 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

4.16 m

55'

Leweling fires wide

Stiller tries to play the winger in behind the Kiel defence, but his shot isn't troubling Weiner.

54'

Substitution

Stefan Schwab

Umut Tohumcu

52'

Tohumcu injured

Now the Kiel midfielder has gone down with an injury. He may well have to come off - Schwab is getting ready to enter the fray.

50'

Superb delivery

Führich's inswinging cross towards the back post is met by Vagnoman, who tries to pick out Undav but can only divert the ball back over the Stuttgart striker's head.

49'

Skipper struggling

Karazor appears to have a problem. The Stuttgart captain is clutching the back of his left leg but seems determined to shake off the injury.

47'

Stuttgart pushing

Stuttgart have quickly taken a stranglehold on possession early in the second half. Hendriks hurls a long throw into the Kiel penalty area but Weiner is out quickly to claim the ball.

46'

Back under way!

Kiel kick off the second half.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Kiel 0-0 Stuttgart

It's been an absorbing first 45 minutes at the Holstein-Stadion. Both teams have had chances and the home side may feel a little unfortunate not to be in front - but the holders remain on level terms.

Half-time

45'

Crowded out

Kelati tries to find space for the shot on the edge of the box but the playmaker is crowded out by the Stuttgart defence. That'll be the last action of the first half.

Defences on top

No way through for either side yet. Time for an opener before the break?

42'

First booking

The Stuttgart man is cautioned for kicking the ball away after conceding a throw-in.

42'

Yellow card

Bilal El Khannouss

39'

Over the bar

Stuttgart win a free-kick in a promising position. Stiller's outswinging delivery finds the head of Undav, who again fails to hit the target.

36'

Sitting deep

Kiel are dropping a little deeper as we enter the final ten minutes of the first half. Stuttgart are still seeing plenty of the ball, but other than that fumbled Mittelstädt cross a few moments ago, Weiner has had precious little to do.

34'

Five shots...

...but none on target yet for Hoeneß's team.

Goal attempts

5off target

1on target

5off target

0on target

32'

Breathless opening

It may be goalless, but it's been a cracking cup tie so far.

29'

Alert to the danger

Kiel burst forward down the left, with Kelati sending Harres racing clear. The Kiel striker has time to pick out a team-mate but his low cross is cut out by Chabot inside the area.

28'

Let-off for Kiel

Weiner fails to hold onto a cross from Mittelstädt, but Stuttgart fail to capitalise as El Khannouss's effort is blocked by a Storks defender.

26'

Führich lively

Leweling fails to make proper contact with another teasing Führich delivery. The holders are knocking on the door...

25'

Undav flashes header wide

Führich finds Undav again with an inswinging cross from the left flank, but the Germany striker's header isn't troubling Weiner in the Kiel goal.

Entertaining opening

We've had chances at both ends, but it remains goalless at the Holstein-Stadion.

19'

Wide from Führich

Undav returns the favour just inside the box, laying the ball off for Führich who slams his shot narrowly off target.

17'

Better from Stuttgart

Führich gets to the byline and tries to cut the ball back for Undav, who can't quite get on the end of the cross.

15'

Kaprálik heavily involved

The Slovakia international gets the better of Chabot down the right hand-side and has another opportunity to get a shot away, but the angle becomes too tight for him and he can only send the ball wide of the upright.

13'

Stuttgart dominating possession...

...but Kiel have had the better chances so far.

Possession (%)

3664

11'

Kiel go close again

The hosts break forward again as Tohumcu feeds Kelati, who isn't closed down quickly enough by the Stuttgart defence but delays his shot, eventually blazing the ball high over Nübel's crossbar.

10'

Headed wide

The resulting corner finds Harres, who can't direct his header on target.

Golden opportunity for hosts!

Kaprálik races onto Nekić's long ball over the top of the Stuttgart defence and makes a beeline for goal. His shot from inside the box is sweetly struck but Nübel manages to get a strong hand to the ball and parry it behind for a corner.

No respite for Kiel

The visitors are dominating the ball so far, but they are also winning it back incredibly quickly when they do lose possession. Kiel are struggling to relieve the pressure.

Early Stuttgart pressure

Stuttgart force an early corner, but Stiller's delivery is headed clear at the near post. It's been a bright start by the visitors, who are pinning Kiel back inside their own half.

Off we go!

Can Stuttgart take another step towards a second DFB Cup final in as many seasons? Or can Kiel claim their third straight Bundesliga scalp?

Kick-off!

Wonderful atmosphere

The Holstein-Stadion holds just over 15,000 people, but the two sets of players are met by a cacophony of noise as they emerge from the tunnel.

The teams are in the tunnel

Kick-off is a little under five minutes away.

Eyes on the prize

Sebastian Hoeneß and his Stuttgart players are in no mood to relinquish their DFB Cup crown.

Tireless Storks

Kiel have covered more ground than any other Bundesliga 2 side this season, clocking up 2,454.4 kilometres overall - or 122.72 km per game on average.

Cup credentials compared

Four-time cup winners Stuttgart haven't lost in the competition to a team outside the Bundesliga since a first-round exit at the hands of Hansa Rostock in 2018/19. Hosts Kiel, meanwhile, have never lifted the trophy, but did reach the semi-finals twice - most recently coming up short against Borussia Dortmund in the 2020/21 edition (5-0).

More on those teams

Hoeneß makes two changes to the team that beat Freiburg 1-0 in the Bundesliga at the weekend. Maximilian Mittelstädt is recalled on the left-hand side, with Finn Jeltsch dropping to the bench and Ramon Hendriks moving inside. Midfielder Nikolas Nartey also makes way for Bilal El Khannouss. As for Kiel, goalkeeper Timon Weiner is one of five players cycled in following the recent defeat to Bundesliga 2 bottom club Greuther Fürth.

Starting line-up: Holstein Kiel

Kiel subs

Krumrey, Roslyng, Therkelsen, Jakupović, Schwab, Rosenboom, Müller, Niehoff, Parduzi

Starting line-up: VfB Stuttgart

Maximilian Mittelstädt

Stuttgart subs

Bredlow, Al-Dakhil, Demirović, Stenzel, Assignon, Arévalo, Bouanani, Jeltsch, Chema

2:05

Watch: Every Undav goal in the Bundesliga this season

Shared beginnings

Both Hoeneß and Rapp took their first steps into senior management at Hoffenheim. Rapp took charge of four Bundesliga games at the end of the 2019/20 season, three of which were wins and one of which was a 4-0 humbling of Borussia Dortmund. Hoeneß was there for longer, managing them between 2020-2022, starting his time there just as Rapp's ended.

Hoeneß's Kiel record

The Stuttgart boss has faced Kiel just three times, but is yet to taste defeat. His first of two victories against them came as Hoffenheim manager in this very competition, beating them 5-1 in the second round in 2021/22. The next two meetings came in the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, where his Stuttgart side won 2-1 at home before being held to a 2-2 draw in Kiel.

Holstein's home worries

The Storks have won just four of 10 home games in Bundesliga 2 so far this campaign, which isn't the ideal preparation for the visit of the scintillating Stuttgart. They're no stranger to a giant killing though, having beaten Bayern Munich at the Holstein-Stadion in the second round of the Cup in 2020/21.

New signings to shine?

Kiel added Hamburg's Jonas Meffert and Hoffenheim's Umut Tohumcu (loan) to their ranks in the winter window, both of whom will bring valuable experience to their squad. Meanwhile, Stuttgart's Jeremy Arévalo (middle) could be given the opportunity to make his mark, having only made a couple of brief substitute appearances since joining from Racing Santander in January.

Who will join Leverkusen?

Kasper Hjulmand's side were the first to book their place in the semi-finals last night, beating St. Pauli 3-0 at the BayArena thanks to goals from Martin Terrier, Patrik Schick and Jonas Hofmann. Last season's winners Stuttgart will be desperate to join them, but will have to navigate a tricky tie against Kiel first.

Early Kiel team news

Alexander Bernhardsson and Carl Johansson remain out due to long-term injuries. Marco Komenda (pictured) and Frederik Roslyng are available again after recovering from illness, while Ivan Nekić is an option after suspension ruled him out of the Bundesliga 2 loss to Fürth.

Early Stuttgart team news

Nikolas Nartey, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Tiago Tomás will all have to miss the cup clash due to injury. Sebastian Hoeneß revealed that as Fabian Bredlow is a doubt due to a calf injury, Alexander Nübel will start in goal.

Marcel Rapp on facing Stuttgart

"Our expectations aren’t as high as in Bundesliga 2, with no disrespect to our opponents there. We’re going into the game against Stuttgart as the underdogs, and we want to seize that opportunity.”

Sebastian Hoeneß on facing Kiel

"There may be situations we have to overcome together, so it’s going to be particularly important to play with determination, focus and purpose. We have the chance to take a big step forward in our third competition as well.”

Get the scarves out

As of Tuesday, the forecast for Kiel on Wednesday evening was for temperatures of a rather chilly -3 degrees Celsius, coupled with strong winds.

Kiel form

Losing just two of their last eight games at the Holstein-Stadion (W4, D2, L2), Marcel Rapp's side enjoyed a 2-0 win over promotion chasing Paderborn last month. The Storks' defeat against Greuther Fürth at the weekend was also their first in six games since their December DFB Cup victory over Hamburg.

Stuttgart form

VfB's dramatic late triumph against Freiburg means that since their round of 16 win over Bochum, Hoeneß's men have suffered just two defeats in their last 11 matches across all competitions as they continue their remarkable rise.

0:59

Watch: Stuttgart 1-0 Freiburg

The cup holders come into Wednesday's game feeling pretty good, having seen Demirović grab a last-minute stunner against Freiburg. A win that pushed VfB up to fourth in the table.

2:13

Watch: Kiel 1-2 Greuther Fürth

Kiel's preparation for Wednesday proved less than ideal on Saturday as they lost 2-1 at home to bottom of the table Greuther Fürth in Bundesliga 2. The result sees Kiel drop to 11th in the table, just four points above the relegation places.

2:03

Watch: Kiel 2-2 Stuttgart

The last time these teams met was in the Bundesliga in March. On that day, the game finished 2-2 in Kiel as Kiel captain Steven Skrzybski scored a double in between goals from Jamie Leweling and Ermedin Demirović.

Head-to-head

Perhaps surprisingly, Kiel have a remarkably solid record against Stuttgart. The two sides have met six times in total, with the Storks winning three of those meetings. However, they were unable to get the better of Stuttgart in the Bundesliga last season, as it finished 2-2 in Kiel and 2-1 in Stuttgart. This will also be the third DFB Cup meeting between the sides. Both teams have beaten the other once in the cup, with Kiel progressing in 1970 and Stuttgart in 2015.

Kiel - the story so far

Kiel are one of two non-Bundesliga teams through to the quarter-finals, where they'll try to make it a hat-trick of giant-killing wins after dumping out Wolfsburg (1-0) and Hamburg (on penalties) in the previous rounds. The Storks also took care of business against fourth-tier Homburg in their competition opener (2-0).

Stuttgart - the story so far

Stuttgart's cup defence got off to a shaky start as they edged into the second round courtesy of a penalty shootout win over Bundesliga 2's Eintracht Braunschweig. It's been a smoother ride to the quarters, though, with Die Schwaben beating both Bundesliga rivals Mainz and second-tier Bochum 2-0 in regulation time.

Welcome!

Holders VfB Stuttgart visit Bundesliga 2's Holstein Kiel in the 2025/26 DFB Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday (kick-off: 8.45pm CET). Stay tuned for build-up and live match coverage from the Holstein-Stadion!