FCK: A traditional club with enormous support

It was a rousing start to the new campaign. 1. FC Kaiserslautern's first match in the third division of German football was reminiscent of the club's glory days and showed once again that this traditional club has a great weight of support behind it. Exactly 41,324 fans had flocked to the legendary Fritz-Walter Stadium and lent the opening game of the season against 1860 Munich a backdrop worthy of the first division. The result was also the right one ultimately in the eyes of the hosts, as Janek Sternberg's goal gave FCK a 1-0 win. Coach Michael Frontzeck endeavoured to prevent the euphoria and expectations from rising too high after the game. "Winning by such a fine margin was perfect for me as it means everybody, both the team and the supporters, will keep their feet on the ground and that everybody recognises how difficult it is to win a match in the 3. Bundesliga."

The 54-year-old will likely feel that his analysis has since been vindicated. After an impressive start, the reality of life in the 3. Bundesliga has bitten. Fewer spectators are coming, and the fixtures are not getting any easier. From the following three games against Großspach (1-1), Preußen Münster (1-2) and in Halle (0-2), the German champions of 1951, 1958, 1991 and 1998 didn't pick up a single win.

Kaiserslautern the underdog for the first time this season

It is opportune for Frontzeck not to have to go into the first round of the DFB Cup on Saturday (15:30 CET) "as favourites" for the first time this season: "Hoffenheim qualified for the Champions League directly. That tells you all you need to know about this team's quality." Nonetheless, his players should not be unduly concerned prior to the match against TSG: "I want them to play with guts and for them to get stuck in."

That notwithstanding, the expectations around FCK against Hoffenheim are of course high, and the cup tie should make for a change in mood: "I had envisaged a different start to our campaign. But we want to show our fans that we have got some fight in us in this cup match and we will try to progress to the next round", said Sporting Director Martin Bader.

Around 25,000 spectators expected

The players and the fans are looking forward to the match as well as a large gate once more: Kaiserslautern are expecting 25,000 spectators for this rerun of the 2012/13 relegation battle. Hoffenheim defeated FCK twice back then, securing for themselves their continued participation in the Bundesliga as a result. Furthermore, this is the derby of teams that were top of the 1. Bundesliga at the midway point of the season immediately after their promotion to it: Kaiserslautern in the 1997/98 season, Hoffenheim in 2008/09.

Suffice it to say, all of that will count for nothing on Saturday – the only thing that matters is progression to the next round. For the winner, it would be the first step towards the final on 25 May 2019 in Berlin.

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