Hamburger SV and Freiburg will put their respective targets in the league to one side when they face off in a DFB-Pokal semi-final tie on Tuesday evening.
The hosts remain in the mix for promotion out of the 2.Bundesliga despite a drop off in form of late, whilst the visitors continued their incredible charge towards a top-four finish in the Bundesliga by recording a thumping win at the weekend.
Match preview
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Unsurprisingly, Tuesday's hosts Hamburg remain the only side left in the competition that are outside of the Bundesliga, so expectation will certainly be off their shoulders.
A raucous atmosphere is expected at the Volksparkstadion for an incredible occasion however, with the home faithful hoping to roar on their side to a first DFB-Pokal final since they last won the cup back in the 1986-87 campaign.
Three-time winners of the trophy, this huge German club has struggled to return to the top flight since being relegated to the 2.Bundesliga in the 2017-18 campaign.
Numerous promotion attempts have failed at the final hurdle, and after winning just two of their last eight league fixtures, Hamburg could well be suffering the same fate once again this season.
However, one of those two wins did arrive at the weekend, with Tim Walter's side registering a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Karlsruher SC, which leaves them down in sixth place in the table, but also moved them to within five points of St Pauli in the promotion playoff spot.
Promotion aims must be put on hold for the time being though, as Hamburg go in search of a memorable cup final next month against either RB Leipzig or Union Berlin, who play their semi-final tie on Wednesday.
Having required penalties to progress in three of their four cup ties to reach the last four, against Nuremberg, FC Koln and Karlsruher, Tuesday's hosts are a strong opponent that knows how to go the full distance, should it be required once more against Freiburg.
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Meanwhile, Freiburg may well have a far emptier trophy cabinet than their hosts, but they have been an impressive and consistent side in the Bundesliga for a number of campaigns now.
The 2021-22 season could well turn out to be their best yet too, with Saturday's 3-0 victory over VfL Bochum strengthening their hold on fifth place in the league table, whilst ensuring they kept up the pressure on the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Leipzig in the final two Champions League places.
A Roland Sallai brace followed an early goal from Lukas Kubler to seal a thoroughly deserved win for Christian Streich's side against an in-form opponent.
Whilst Tuesday's visitors dream of a remarkable qualification for Europe's grand stage through their league success this campaign, they could also make history in the DFB-Pokal too, with the midweek trip to Hamburg being only their second-ever appearance in the semi-finals of the cup.
Their only other action in the last four came in the 2012-13 season, when they were downed 2-1 by Stuttgart, so after appearing to draw the favourable tie against lower-league opposition on paper, Freiburg may never stand a better chance of reaching their first-ever DFB-Pokal final.
After keeping his side grounded for much of this season so far, Streich is unlikely to allow any complacency to creep into his players at the Volksparkstadion either, despite the expectations and the odds being in their favour.
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Team News
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Hamburg look set to be without just two players on Tuesday, with long-term absentee Tim Leibold being joined on the sidelines by Maximilian Rohr.
Ludovit Reis should return at the base of the midfield after missing Saturday's win due to a one-match suspension, whilst the influential Sonny Kittel is likely to start after having to settle for a place on the bench at the weekend.
The latter has eight goals and 11 assists to his name in the league this season, and he will support striker Robert Glatzel, who has a healthy return of 18 goals in 30 2.Bundesliga appearances.
As for the visitors, with no fresh injury concerns to report from Saturday's win, they also appear to have just the two absentees for Tuesday's cup tie.
Yannik Keitel remains unavailable due to a broken toe, whilst young forward Kevin Schade continues to struggle with an abdominal problem.
Super-sub Nils Petersen was rewarded with a rare start against Bochum, but despite failing to find the back of the net, his experience should prove vital in a game of this magnitude, and should therefore continue to lead the line.
Woo-Yeong Jeong came in for Lucas Holer and combined excellently with Sallai in an impressive display, so Streich is unlikely to make any changes to his starting lineup.
Hamburger SV possible starting lineup:
Fernandes; Heyer, Vuskovic, Schonlau, Vagnoman; Meffert, Reis; Jatta, Kittel, Alidou; Glatzel
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Kubler, Lienhart, N Schlotterbeck, Gunter; Eggestein, Hofler; Sallai, Jeong, Grifo; Petersen
We say: Hamburger SV 1-2 Freiburg
Despite there being a division between these two sides, we can see this being a typically nervy cup tie with very little in it on Tuesday.
However, Freiburg continue to perform excellently, and their momentum from a fantastic campaign should take them through to a first-ever cup final in a fierce atmosphere.
Top tip
Matthew Tranter
