Arminia Bielefeld vs Stuttgart

Olympiastadion in Berlin sets the stage for the 2024/25 DFB-Pokal final between third-tier Arminia Bielefeld and former champions Stuttgart.

It’s been an impressive campaign for Arminia Bielefeld. Indeed, they’ve already secured promotion back to the second tier and became only the fourth third-tier team to qualify for the DFB-Pokal final. Conquering the most prestigious German cup for the first time in club history would be a fitting end to a superb season, with Bielefeld looking to build on a stunning semi-final win against reigning holders Bayer Leverkusen. Michel Kniat’s side came from behind to beat the Bundesliga giants in that tie after breaking the deadlock in four previous DFB-Pokal ties. Notably, they’ve defied the odds to progress from the last five cup rounds as pre-match outsiders to give themselves a chance to become the first team outside the Bundesliga to lift the DFB-Pokal crown since Hannover in 1991/92.

In the meantime, Stuttgart only dispatched two top-flight opponents en route to the final, most recently beating RB Leipzig 3-1 to reach their first DFB-Pokal final since losing to Bayern Munich in 2013. The three-game winners find themselves in the unusual position of battling for a Europa League spot against a club their reserve side beat 3-0 in a third-tier clash back in September! However, there’s no room for complacency after finishing ninth in the Bundesliga despite winning their final three matches, including a 3-2 win at Leipzig. Manager Sebastian Hoeneß must address Stuttgart’s defensive issues, with his side failing to keep a clean sheet in 16 of their last 20 outings.