DFB Cup semi-finals: Researchers outsider: Arminia believes in “Miracle” against Bayer

Outsider, so what? Arminia Bielefeld goes into the cup semi-final against Doublesieger Bayer Leverkusen. “I would also go to a duel with Alexander Zverev and say:” I win the thing “,” says coach Mitch Kniat with a view of the tennis star in magenta. “I believe in a hundred percent of the miracle.”

The euphoria around the Arminia is huge to feel longing in the whole city. A victory separates the traditional club from the first move into the DFB Cup final in Berlin on May 24th. The season so far looks like a booster for belief in your own chance in the greatest game in years (Tuesday, 8:45 p.m./ARD and Sky).

“We had no chance four times and used it. That will also be the motto against Leverkusen,” says Kniat. His team would be the first third division club in the final since the 1st FC Union Berlin 2001.

Big fan march to the stadium

In the shortest possible time, the Arminia relies on the fans’ factor. The supporters who get in the mood for the game with a large march from the old town made the time -honored alpine pasture in the past rounds into a nationwide gar house. This time they should also give the Kniat team the extra boost to stand up to the top favorite.

Leverkusen’s midfielder granite Xhaka knows from his own experience. He was already out of the trophy on the Alm – in the 2015 quarter -finals, at that time with Borussia Mönchengladbach.

“Not only because of the experience of back then we also know what we will face,” the 32-year-old told the “Westfalen-Blatt”. Captain Lukas Hradecky said: “It will be a cracker. They will give everything and it is probably the game of the year for them.”

The special thing about the Arminia is also: Bielefeld does not appear against a first division like a typical third division team. As in the quarter-finals against Werder Bremen (2: 1) or in front of SC Freiburg (3: 1) and 1. FC Union Berlin (2: 0), the East Westphalia also do not want to concentrate on the defensive and walls against the Bundesliga second.

The Bielefelders know that even with a courageous attack game, they can pose problems with teams that should actually be clearly superior to them after league membership and squad value.

Cup income helps enormously

After years of sporting decline and the crises, the Arminia has a spirit of optimism again – not only, but also because of the trophy. The club, which plays around the climb, benefits extremely from the income. So far, the Bielefeld has earned around 6.5 million euros on DFB premiums.

“In the club, nobody wants to say again and again how bad we were. But we really didn’t work well,” said sports manager Michael Mutzel of the German Press Agency. “Planning for the new season was a big challenge right from the start. The cup revenue, which we of course could not count on, make our plans enormously easier.”

The move into the final would guarantee a further 2.88 million euros. There would also be spectator revenue. Money that could also be invested in the squad after the contaminated sites have been reduced.