After RWE – Christian Neidhart also wants to go far with OFC

Kickers Offenbach are still the only fourth division team in the second round of the DFB Cup. The OFC wants to go one round further.

On Tuesday evening (October 29, 6 p.m.), the Bieberer Berg will tremble. The home OFC will host second division team Karlsruher SC in front of a full house.

KSC is one of the top teams in the 2nd Bundesliga. Kickers Offenbach are currently ranked third in the Regionalliga Südwest and, despite the clear distribution of roles, are dreaming of another cup surprise. “I’m always very optimistic in such games. We’re not just happy to be playing, we want to win the game,” said OFC coach Christian Neidhart ahead of Tuesday’s DFB Cup second-round game.

Neidhart himself knows how it’s done. In 2021, the 56-year-old made it to the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup with Rot-Weiss Essen, where RWE knocked out Bielefeld, Düsseldorf and Leverkusen before being knocked out by Kiel. “That’s why I know that you can go far even as a regional league team,” he said.

Speaking of Rot-Weiss Essen: Ron Berlinski is also a former RWE professional in the Kickers team. The 30-year-old striker has scored seven goals in 14 league appearances so far and is of course also hoping to progress in the DFB Cup.

In the cup, I’ve always found that as long as you keep a clean sheet and have a bit of luck, the game becomes more open. I’m hoping for a cup fight

Christian Neidhart

Around 17,000 fans will support the regional league team, which knocked out 1. FC Magdeburg in the first round. “I’m really excited and looking forward to it. It’s great that we’ll finally see a full house at the Bieberer Berg. I think the fans will sense that the place is boiling tomorrow and that it will be a fantastic atmosphere.”

Neidhart is well aware of his team’s underdog role, however. ”KSC are a well-drilled top team in the second division. It will be a very difficult task,” Neidhart predicted. However, the Hessians will not go down without a fight. ‘In the cup, I have always found that as long as you keep a clean sheet and have a bit of luck, the game will be more open. I’m hoping for a cup fight,’ said Neidhart.