Bayern Munich Odds-On Favorites to Win DFB-Pokal; Dortmund & Leipzig Knocked Out in Third Round

• Both Dortmund and Leipzig were knocked out of the German Cup this week
• Bayern won a thriller against Hoffenheim by a score of 4-3
• With Dortmund and Leipzig gone from the competition, can Bayern win their 20th DFB-Pokal title?

It was an exciting handful of third-round matches in this year’s DFB-Pokal, with numerous upsets occurring this week. Eintracht Frankfurt continued their winning streak at home against RB Leipzig, beating them 3-1. Dortmund meanwhile, was upset by Werder Bremen, losing 3-2. Bayern Munich took care of business against Hoffenheim, but it was no easy task, winning 4-3.

Just eight teams now remain in this year’s competition, with seven from the Bundesliga and one side from Germany’s fourth tier in Saarbrucken.

DFB-Pokal Odds

Odds taken Feb 6.

By no surprise, Bayern Munich is the clear favorites to win the German Cup this year with -175 odds. Bayer Leverkusen, who beat Stuttgart in the third round, is the next closest side with +600 odds.

Bayern Seeking Their 20th Title

The German giants beat two lower-tier sides to advance to the third round, eventually beating Hoffenheim. It’s unknown who they will face in the quarterfinals at this point, but Hans Flick’s side are definitely the favorites to win it all. Out of the eight teams left, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt have both defeated Bayern this season in league play. However, both of those losses for the current league-leaders were back in November when they were in awful form.

Dating back to December 11th, Bayern has won eight straight matches, with a number of those fixtures being lopsided victories. Robert Lewandowski has been practically unstoppable this term, already scoring 35 goals across all competitions, including three in the German Cup. Bayern has bagged 2.9 goals per match in the Bundesliga this season, which is first in Germany’s top flight.

They haven’t looked very dominant in the DFB-Pokal, but as the competition progresses to the later stages, Bayern will definitely be taking it more seriously as the quarterfinals approach. With an opportunity to win their 20th title in the cup, they will need to step it up to the level they’ve been playing in the Bundesliga.

Frankfurt, Leverkusen Showing Well

Both of these sides have been impressive in this year’s competition. Frankfurt defeated Leipzig convincingly this week on home soil, while Leverkusen soared past Stuttgart. Eintracht is currently 11th place in the Bundesliga, but they’ve put together numerous exciting showings against top of the table sides. They beat Leipzig in league play in late January 2-0 before their win this week. Adi Hutter’s side also destroyed Bayern Munich 5-1 in November, then tied Dortmund 2-2 in September.

Leverkusen is currently fifth in the Bundesliga and also beat Bayern earlier this season. They’ve been playing productive football this year and could be a threat to Munich in the later stages of the cup if they play each other.

Bayern Is Best Bet

Although Frankfurt and Leverkusen have both defeated Bayern this year, it was many months ago when Bayern were a different side. With a new manager and different tactics, they’ve been playing much better as of late and their league momentum will carry into the DFB-Pokal.

👀 Who are you hoping for in the next round? 🏆

The @DFBPokal_EN quarterfinal draw takes place from 18:00 CET on Sunday! 🍀#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/ee7JietuPB

— 🏆🏆🏆FC Bayern English🏆🏆🏆 (@FCBayernEN) February 6, 2020

With that in mind, I believe Bayern is the best bet to lift the German Cup for the 20th time this year. It may not be easy, especially if they face Frankfurt or Leverkusen, but in the end, Bayern will come out on top.

Pick: Bayern Munich -175