SV Werder Bremen have been drawn against SV Darmstadt 98 in the round of 16 in the DFB-Pokal. The draw was conducted on Sunday evening (3rd November) at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The round of 16 matches will be played on 3rd and 4th December, with exact timings to be announced in due course
SVW will come up against former head coach Florian Kohfeldt, who had previously spent over three years at the helm of the Green-Whites. Kohfeldt took charge of the Lilies in September 2024, as they won 3-2 (a.e.t.) against Dynamo Dresden in the second round.
The draw was conducted by André Schnura, who went viral during EURO 2024 for his saxophone performances outside of various stadiums during the tournament. Former Werder player and current DFB sporting director Rudi Völler also assisted with the draw. SV Werder Bremen have reached the round of 16 in the competition for the first time since 2020, when they went on to reach the semi-finals. They were eliminated at that stage at the hands of RB Leipzig (2-1 a.e.t.).
Managing director for sport Clemens Fritz: "It's definitely a special tie due to the connection to Florian. I had a feeling this would happen, to be honest. Darmstadt have been able to get back on track in recent weeks and fought hard in Dresden. We're delighted to be playing at home."
Head of professional football Peter Niemeyer: "I'm particularly pleased that we will be at home. It's always nice to come up against a team that you once played for."
Head coach Ole Werner: "First and foremost, I'm happy that we've been drawn at home. Naturally, we want to advance to the next round. There's still some time to go before the game, so our focus for now is on the game against Kiel."
Marco Friedl: "It's nice to be at home and to have a reunion with Flo. Darmstadt are a good side, but we're at home and so we have to reach the next round. So soon after the game though, I'm not really concerned about it right now."
Romano Schmid: "It's always nice to have a cup game in Bremen. I'm looking forward to going up against Florian - he gave me my first minutes in the Bundesliga. Still, it's sure to be more special for him as a Bremen native than it will be for me. For me, it's just about reaching the next round."
VfL Wolfsburg - TSG Hoffenheim
1. FC Köln - Hertha BSC
SSV Jahn Regensburg - VfB Stuttgart
Karlsruher SC - FC Augsburg
RB Leipzig - Eintracht Frankfurt
SV Werder Bremen - SV Darmstadt 98
FC Bayern München - Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Arminia Bielefeld - SC Freiburg
Round of 16: 3rd/4th December 2024
Quarterfinals: 4th/5th February 2025
Semi-finals: 1st/2nd April 2025
Final: 24th May 2025 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin
