A clash with tradition

Both clubs are founding members of the Bundesliga, went head-to-head in Germany’s top-flight 84 times, have each claimed league titles (VfB five; Kaiserslautern four) and taken the DFB-Cup. The Cannstatt Boys snagged the domestic cup trophy in 1954, 1958 and 1997. FCK were triumphant in cup finals in 1990 and 1996. Aside from an abundance of meetings in the Bundesliga and the '2. Bundesliga', the two clubs have also locked horns in the DFB-Cup on seven previous occasions. Ahead of the eighth cup clash of the two sides this Wednesday at 18:30 CET in the Fritz-Walter-Stadion, www.vfb.de have taken a look back on the previous cup ties:

Winning goal-scorer in the first cup meeting: Horst Köppel

The record

From the seven prior cup clashes between the two sides, VfB proved victorious over 1. FC Kaiserslautern four times – with the home team most often having the fortune on their side, with the Cannstatt Boys winning four of their five home outings. Kaiserslautern progressed further in each of their home matches. Two of the seven games went to extra-time, with FCK eventually proving victors.

The first clash

The first time that VfB faced 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Cup was during the 1967/1968 season. In the first-round game on January 27^th, 1968, the Wasenelf secured a 1-0 win in front of their home fans. The goal-scorer for the hosts was Horst Köppel.

First on target, then dismissed: Axel Kruse

The last meeting

The two clubs last clashed in the domestic cup on August 25^th, 1993. Trailing 0-2 at the break, Guido Buchwald’s side hit back with goals from Axel Kruse and Buchwald. With the referee dismissing VfB’s Axel Kruse and Uwe Schneider, the Wasenelf clearly struggled as the game moved into extra-time. Within just three minutes, Kaiserslautern took control, through goals from Martin Wagner (97’), Stefan Kuntz (98‘) and Jan Eriksson (100‘). In the second period of extra-time, Marco Haber struck (109‘), to make the final score 6-2.

"Double-battle"
In 1971/1972 and again in 1972/1973, the sides met at the 'Round of 16' stage of the competition. During that period, the cup mode was played out with each tie being decided over two legs. In February 1972, a 4-3 lead from the first-leg was not enough for VfB to progress, after they were beaten in the return-leg on the ‘Betzenberg’ 1-3. In March 1973, VfB took a 2-1 victory into the return-leg, which FCK won 1-0 in the ninety minutes, forcing the tie into extra-time, with the hosts eventually progressing with a 2-0 victory.