1899 to visit FC Oberneuland

Andreas Beck (recovery holiday), Tobias Weis (knee problems), Franco Zuculini (back problems), Luiz Gustavo (bruised ankle), Isaac Vorsah (ankle injury), Demaba Ba (in rehab) Josip Simunic (banned) and Prince Tagoe (flu) will all miss the trip north.

Chinedu Obasi is also a doubt as he struggles to overcome a shoulder problem. "We'll treat the match like we treat every Bundesliga game. It is a competitive fixture that we want to win" opined Ralf Rangnick. "We have to concentrate right from the off and put the game beyond doubt early on." It is the fourth time Oberneuland have taken part in the DFB Cup. They reached the second round last season after beating 2nd division TuS Koblenz in a first round penalty shoot out.

In the second round they came up against the Bundesliga side that would later be crowned champions, VfL Wolfsburg, and went down to a 7-0 defeat. The amateur side ply their trade in the Regional North division, where they finished ninth last term. New Hoffenheim captain Per Nilsson is comfortable with the expectations that will accompany his side in the match, "Obviously we're favourites, but we shouldn't underestimate our opponents. We need to go there in the right frame of mind, and take the same mindset into the game against FC Bayern a week later."
Last season 1899 needed a late Vedad Ibisevic goal away to Chemnitz to reach the second round. Rangnick has set out his expectations for this season's competition: "We will try to go as far as we can in the cup."