A dozen Bundesliga sides and an underdog

Major surprises in the outcome of the DFB-Cup second-round matches on Tuesday and Wednesday were kept to a bare minimum, with only two of the sixteen ties not being decided within the initial ninety minutes. 1. FSV Mainz 05 needed extra-time to force their way past second-flight Holstein Kiel (3-2), whilst the Bundesliga clash between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich needed a penalty shoot-out, before the record title holders from Bavaria won through. VfB progressed deservedly to the 'Round of 16', as Hannes Wolf’s men overcame the challenge posed by the determined battling hosts from 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

Aside from the side in the shirts with the infamous red hoop, eleven further Bundesliga teams will be represented in the next round of the competition, as will three teams from Germany’s second-flight. In addition, the ‘3. Liga’ will also be represented in the ‘Round of 16’ by current division leaders SC Paderborn, who progressed past second division VfL Bochum. The East-Westphalians go into the latter stages of the competition as underdogs in the race to claim the 52 centimetre high and 5,7 kilogram heavy trophy.

The draw for the DFB-Cup ‘Round of 16’ will be made this Sunday during the ARD-Sportschau (18:00 CET) by former Germany international Stefan Effenberg. The games will be played out on December 19^th and 20^th.