The DFB-Pokal is where heroes are made and underdogs prevail, like in David and Goliath. Christian Groß has been involved in both sides of this. During his spell with VfL Osnabrück in 2017, Groß knocked Hamburger SV out of the competition in the first round and narrowly missed out on a place in the final with Werder in 2021. “Everyone is capable of achieving great things”, urged the midfielder. “The first round of the Pokal is the biggest game of the season for many lower-level teams.”
Third-division Viktoria Köln will certainly put up a fight against Werder on Saturday 12th August, making the Green-Whites’ first competitive fixture of the season a great test of their performance. “Köln have nothing to lose and the stadium will be full of energy and excitement – they will have a different mindset as a third-division team and have the opportunity to produce a miracle”, explained Groß, who, in addition to Osnabrück, also competed with Babelsberg as a lower-level team in the DFB-Pokal. “On the other hand, this is an important knockout game and we have the opportunity to play an excellent season in the Pokal.”
It has quickly become evident in training that pre-season is over and it’s now time to get serious. Despite the Bundesliga season-opener against Bayern being only six days later, the team are committing all of their attention and efforts towards their Pokal campaign. “This is a very important match for us”, explained Groß. “I’m personally feeling very glad that pre-season has ended and we can finally get to it. Our focus lies entirely on progressing in the tournament and this is evident by the energy and quality that we’re displaying in training.”
Viktoria Köln kicked off their third-division campaign with a 3-1 win against SC Verl last week, yet Groß believes that their head start in competitive fixtures won’t give the team much of an advantage. In his mind, Werder will be solely responsible for their own fate. “We have to take control of the game and remain focused throughout”, said the 34-year-old. “Games in the Pokal require patience and endurance, and we need to prevent the uproar in the stadium from letting us dwell on our mistakes. If we put in our all on the day, we will come out on top.”
