Munich 1860 vs Borussia Dortmund

Grunwalder Stadion forms the backdrop as Munich 1860 and Borussia Dortmund lock horns in their inaugural 2022/23 DFB Pokal round.

Despite falling narrowly short of 3. Liga playoff spots last season, Munich 1860 look determined to do one better this term, as witnessed by an action-packed 4-3 win away to Dynamo Dresden on the opening league weekend. Interestingly, Munich 1860 capped off a decent 2021/22 season with an overwhelming 6-3 victory over Borussia Dortmund II. But this is a different kind of challenge, as ‘Die Lowen’ go up against tradition here. Since a narrow 1-0 home triumph in 2001, they have lost seven consecutive meetings with Dortmund across all competitions, including a 2-0 extra-time defeat in their most recent encounter in the DFB Pokal last-32.

On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund head into proceedings off the back of back-to-back pre-season defeats to Villarreal and Valencia, both of which came by multi-goal margins. Dortmund’s underwhelming pre-season form could go down to the heartbreaking departure of Erling Haaland for Manchester City. Despite landing several decent forward options over the summer, new boss Edin Terzic will face the arduous task of helping Dortmund improve upon last season’s runner-up finish in the Bundesliga. A potential victory in this seemingly straightforward task would bolster Borussia’s spirits ahead of another top-flight season. And after losing just one of their last nine competitive away games (W5, D3), ‘Die Borussen’ will feel confident about strolling to another cup success here.