After a slow start to the 2022-23 campaign, RB Leipzig begin their quest to retain the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday, as they host tiny Teutonia Hamburg.
The first round tie was moved to the Red Bull Arena after the pitch at SV Dessau's stadium - where Teutonia were set to play host - suffered chemical damage and the DFB imposed a switch to Leipzig.
Match preview
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Once it was confirmed that the playing surface at Dessau's Paul Greifzu Stadion was unplayable, and alternative venues in Hamburg could not be found, RB Leipzig found themselves as hosts for their first round tie.
The Bundesliga side therefore kick off their defence of the DFB-Pokal on home soil, and are ultimately aiming to lift the trophy again next year, having beaten SC Freiburg on penalties in last season's final.
Leipzig's first major title was seen by many as the first step towards putting together a sustained challenge for the league title, but their start had been underwhelming until a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg got them off the mark on Saturday.
Last season's hero Christopher Nkunku, who defied expectations to remain in Saxony this summer, scored both goals for Domenico Tedesco's side; securing their first victory of the 2022-23 campaign, after previously posting two draws and a defeat since losing heavily to Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup.
Already five points adrift of joint-leaders Bayern and Union Berlin, last term's Europa League semi-finalists are naturally focused on making up that early deficit, and will next face a challenging fixture away to Eintracht Frankfurt, before starting their Champions League campaign at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.
First, though, they must take care of business against more humble opposition, as they welcome Teutonia Ottensen of Hamburg to the Red Bull Arena.
Founded as long ago as 1905, Teutonia have grown in stature over recent years and were promoted to the Oberliga Hamburg in 2017, then to the expanded Regionalliga Nord three years later.
On their artificial home pitch, which was not eligible for play in the DFB-Pokal, the semi-professional outfit kicked off this season in front of just 327 fans: suffering a 3-2 defeat to Hildesheim. They have since won two of their next four, including victory over Werder Bremen B at the weekend.
After five rounds, Teutonia sit 11th in Germany's regional fourth tier, but can now embrace the glamour of the cup, after they qualified for Tuesday's tie as winners of last season's Hamburger Pokal.
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Team News
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Domenico Tedesco is likely to field a much-changed side on Tuesday, as commitments in the Bundesliga and Europe are set to stack up relentlessly over the coming months.
With captain Peter Gulasci closing in on his return from an adductor injury, back-up goalkeeper Janis Blaswich may stand in for the Hungary international one more time, while Lukas Klostermann and Youssouf Poulsen remain sidelined.
Having served a suspension in the Bundesliga, Dominik Szoboszlai comes back into contention, with returning hero Timo Werner also in line for a start after appearing from the bench on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Teutonia coach David Bergner, who oversaw a great deal of change to his squad in the summer, will name his strongest possible team.
Cape Verdean midfielder Ridel Varela Monteiro should feature for the visitors, as does goalkeeper Yannick Zummack, but centre-back Marcus Coffie misses out through injury.
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Gvardiol, Orban, Halstenberg; Novoa, Schlager, Haidara, Ba; Forsberg; Sorloth, Werner
Teutonia Hamburg possible starting lineup:
Zummack; Jesgarzewski, Mansaray, Olayisoye, Lopes; Siala, Monteiro, Meyer; Berisha, Lukowicz, Steinwender
We say: RB Leipzig 4-1 Teutonia Hamburg
Even with a more experimental lineup, Leipzig should have enough guile to see off the threat of lower-league opponents, and several fringe players will have a point to prove ahead of a spell where the whole squad will be required.
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Jonathan O'Shea
