Second-tier Holstein Kiel will welcome Bundesliga club Hoffenheim to the Holstein-Stadion for Wednesday's DFB-Pokal tie.

Kiel saw off 1860 Munich in the first round, while Hoffenheim started their cup campaign with a comfortable win over Erzgebirge Aue.

Match preview

Kiel started the season with a 2-0 away victory over fourth-tier 1860 Munich in the DFB-Pokal first round. 

What Kiel supporters did not know at the time was that it would remain their only competitive victory of the season until they claimed their first league win in Sunday's home clash with Dynamo Dresden.

Giorgi Kvilitaia, Jonas Therkelsen and Phil Harres all got on the scoresheet as Kiel ran out 3-0 winners at the Holstein-Stadion, ending their six-game winless start to the 2.Bundesliga season and alleviating some of the pressure that was building on head coach Tim Walter.

The win moved the club out of the bottom three and up to 13th place, although they are level on eight points with all of the five teams below them.

Kiel will now put their league campaign on hold to focus on the DFB-Pokal, a competition that has served them well in recent times after reaching the semi-finals in 2020-21 and the quarter-finals last season. 

While they are set to face top-flight opposition, they will fancy their chances of making a tough contest for Hoffenheim, considering they have won one and drawn four of their five home outings this season, including back-to-back clean sheets in their last two matches at Holstein-Stadion.

Hoffenheim, meanwhile, cruised to a 4-0 win over fourth-tier Erzgebirge Aue in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, but they struggled to build upon that result as they suffered six defeats in seven matches across the Bundesliga and Europa League (W1).

However, they managed to turn a corner in the last week or so, having put together a three-game winning run in all competitons, beginning with a 2-1 away victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.

Christian Ilzer's side then hammered Lyon 3-0 in the Europa League, before they repeated that scoreline in Sunday's Bundesliga clash against Bayer Leverkusen.

Andrej Kramaric opened the scoring from the penalty spot, before Alexander Prass added a second in the 89th minute, only to receive a second yellow card for taking his shirt off in his celebration.

Despite being a man light, Hoffenheim still managed to add a third through Max Moerstedt, as they completed a comfortable win that moved them up to 10th spot in the Bundesliga table.

Their next aim will be to avoid a repeat of last season's second-round exit in the DFB-Pokal, and they should be confident about progressing to their next stage, having won all three of their previous competitive meetings with Kiel. 

Holstein Kiel DFB-Pokal form:

Holstein Kiel form (all competitions):

Hoffenheim DFB-Pokal form:

Hoffenheim form (all competitions):

Team News

Kiel are expected to be without the services of Lasse Rosenboom, Frederik Roslyng, Steven Skrzybski, Hamza Muqaj and Taisei Abe. 

Sebastian Schonlau is also unavailable for selection after he suffered a muscular issue in the goalless draw against Hertha in what was his first appearance following a three-month injury layoff. 

Therkelsen is pushing for a recall after coming off the bench to score in the win over Dynamo, while there could also be a starting spot for Ikem Ugoh. 

As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon the injured trio of Nathan De Cat, Albian Hajdari and Patrick Wimmer. 

Forward Tim Lemperle is another fitness concern after he sat out Sunday's win over Leverkusen due to a thigh injury. 

Despite being sent off at the weekend, Prass will be free to start Wednesday's cup tie, with his ban only applicable to the Bundesliga. 

Holstein Kiel possible starting lineup:

Weiner; Sekine, Madsen, Zec, Parduzi; Kapralik, Meffert, Udoh, Therkelsen; Harres, Kvilitaia

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Philipp; Gendrey, Hranac, Machida, Bernardo; Prass, Conte, Avdullahu, Daghim; Kramaric, Moerstedt

We say: Holstein Kiel 1-2 Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim will be buoyant after picking up three consecutive wins, and while Ilzer could make changes for the cup, we believe they have enough quality in their ranks to edge past Kiel on Wednesday.

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