After RWE, Christian Neidhart wants to go far with OFC

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

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

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

Neidhart himself knows how it’s done. In 2021, the 56-year-old reached the quarter-finals of the cup with Rot-Weiss Essen – RWE knocked out Bielefeld, Düsseldorf and Leverkusen before being eliminated 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, a former RWE professional, is also in the Kickers team. The 30-year-old striker has scored seven goals in 14 league appearances so far and is naturally hoping to progress in the DFB Cup.

In the cup, I’ve always found that as long as the score is 0-0 and you have a bit of luck, the game opens up. 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. “The excitement is huge, as is the anticipation. It’s great that we’ll finally see the Bieberer Berg sold out. I think the fans will sense that the Berg will be buzzing tomorrow and that it will be a fantastic atmosphere.”

However, Neidhart is aware of his team’s underdog status. “KSC is a well-established top team in the 2nd division. It’s going to be a very difficult task,” Neidhart predicted. However, the Hessians will not go down without a fight. ‘In the cup, I’ve always found that as long as the score is 0-0 and you have a bit of luck, the game opens up. I’m hoping for a cup fight,’ said Neidhart.