The final four of the 2014 DFB Pokal kicks off on Tuesday when Borussia Dortmund host VfL Wolfsburg at Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion). BVB are hoping to capitalize on their big week after wins over Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, while Die Wölfe are looking for their first Pokal finale since 1995.
Borussia Dortmund vs VfL Wolfsburg, DFB Pokal Semifinal: Die Wölfe aiming for glory
Wolfsburg are targeting next season’s Champions League and can make a big statement by knocking off Borussia Dortmund on their way to the DFB Pokal Final.
Lars Baron
It's been a very big week for Jürgen Klopp. His still injury depleted sides managed a 2-0 win against Madrid and a 3-0 win against Bayern on the weekend. Unfortunately, Klopp is still going to be without the services of five regulars at kickoff against Dieter Hecking's Wolfsburg. The biggest loss remains in the midfield with both Sven Bender and Ilkay Gündogan out. Do you remember how good Gündogan was last year? It's a shame that he's barely played at all this year.
This match is very important for Wolfsburg, not only for this season, but for the future as well. We’ve seen a big reinvestment in the squad over the last two seasons, and it’s likely to continue into this summer. While next season is when we really expect Wolfsburg to be able to challenge for one of the top three places in the table, they have the opportunity to really announce their arrival on Tuesday. A win at the Westfalenstadion will go a very long way to making the Bundesliga’s elite truly take notice.
BVB are the favorites going into Tuesday’s match coming off of their big performances and their victory over Wolfsburg in Dortmund two weeks ago. However, do not count out Wolfsburg. The have players that have won trophies in Ivica Olic and Luiz Gustavo, and some talented young attacking talent in Maxi Arnold and Kevin De Bruyne.
Wednesday's match will see 2.Bundesliga side FC Kaiserslautern visit Bayern Munich.
Borussia Dortmund injuries and suspensions
Out: Sven Bender, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Ilkay Gündogan, Marcel Schmelzer, Neven Subotic
Wolfsburg injuries and suspensions
Out: Diego Benaglio, Bas Dost, Ricardo Rodriguez
Projected lineups
Borussia Dortmund: Roman Weidenfeller; Lukasz Piszczek, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Mats Hummels, Erik Durm; Sebastian Kehl, Milos Jojic; Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marco Reus, Kevin Großkreutz; Robert Lewandowski
Wolfsburg: Max Grün; Christian Träsch, Naldo, Robin Knoche, Marcel Schäfer; Luiz Gustavo, Junior Malanda; Kevin De Bruyne, Maximilian Arnold, Ivan Perisic; Ivica Olic
Match Date/Time: April 15, 2014 - 20:30 CET, 18:30 GMT, 2:30 PM EST
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
TV: Univision Deportes (USA), Sky Sport 1 HD (Germany), BT Sport 2 (UK)
Online: WatchESPN (USA)
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