The DFB Cup was handed back to the competition’s organisers on Monday, as 2024/25 winners VfB Stuttgart returned the golden trophy to the city of Berlin and the German Football Association (DFB) during the official ‘Cup Handover’. An integral part of the build-up to the DFB Cup final, the traditional event at the capital’s Rotes Rathaus marked the start of the final stages of preparations for the showpiece on 23 May, when Sebastian Hoeneß’s side will hope to get their hands back on the trophy by beating Bayern Munich at the Olympiastadion.
‘We’re going to give it our all’
Like last year, board member for sport Fabian Wohlgemuth represented VfB alongside former head coach Joachim Löw, while club captain Atakan Karazor followed in the footsteps of team-mate Maximilian Mittelstädt, who took part in the handover 12 months ago.
“We’ve come off second best against Bayern three times already this season,” said Wohlgemuth, who is already looking forward to the game. “On paper, it’s clear who the favourites are, but we’re going to give it our all and obviously hope we can beat Bayern.”
Karazor, who won the trophy as skipper last term, echoed Wohlgemuth’s sentiments. “We’ve worked hard over the past few years to go into many of our games as favourites,” he said. “Things a different in this final, but we want to give Bayern a run for their money. First of all, though, we want to qualify for the Champions League this weekend. After that, we’ll start focusing on the final.”