Stuttgart seek new era as Bielefeld eye history in German Cup

Stuttgart, five-time league champions and three-time German Cup winners, have rebounded from years in the wilderness under coach Sebastian Hoeness.

Bielefeld, meanwhile, are chasing the first major trophy in their 120-year history just days after sealing promotion from the German third tier. Only once has a team from outside the top flight won the German Cup: second-division Hannover in 1992.

Stuttgart 'elevated'

Even though their youth academy continued to churn out talent, Stuttgart had fallen away after winning their last Bundesliga title in 2006-07. Stuttgart sat dead last in the Bundesliga and were staring at a third relegation in a decade, when they appointed Hoeness in April 2023.

Hoeness, the son of former West Germany international Dieter and the nephew of Bayern Munich powerbroker Uli, kept Stuttgart in the top flight via a relegation playoff.

A season later, he guided the club to second place - 40 points better than the previous season - and back into the Champions League.

This season, Stuttgart finished in mid-table as they juggled European commitments and their German Cup run, but the future remains bright.

The sought-after Hoeness extended his deal to 2028 in March. Last year, local car giant Porsche pledged to take a 10.4 percent stake in Stuttgart, bringing 100 million euros into the club coffers.

On Thursday, five Stuttgart players were named as part of Germany's 26-man Nations League squad, a number which only Bayern could match.

Hoeness said Stuttgart had a chance to "really elevate our season" on Saturday, saying it was a "dream come true" to coach his first cup final.

Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade is a perfect example of the impact Hoeness has had. Warming the bench at Werder Bremen a season ago, Woltemade was called up for Germany duty for the first time on Thursday. 

The 1.98-metre forward, nicknamed the 'Two-Metre Messi' for his deft touch and dribbling, called Saturday's final "the biggest match of my career... I can't quite grasp it yet."

'Simply everything'

Like their most recent cup triumph in 1997, Stuttgart's path to glory is blocked by a third-division opponent. On that day, a Joachim Loew-coached Stuttgart beat Energie Cottbus 2-0 in the final.

Bielefeld have never before made the German Cup final and are just the fourth side from the third division to qualify for the occasion.

Since their first Bundesliga season in 1970-71, the club have bounced between the first and third tiers of German football. Their last spell in the top flight was followed by successive relegations in 2022 and 2023.

Bielefeld overcame four Bundesliga sides in their run to the final, including cup holders Bayer Leverkusen in the semis. "Bielefeld is not in the final for nothing," Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav said Wednesday. "We're not underestimating them. You can get lucky once, maybe twice, but not four times.

"We're approaching the game as if we're playing Bayern or Real Madrid." Berlin's Olympic Stadium holds 74,000, even so around 100,000 Arminia fans, roughly a third of Bielefeld's population, are expected in the German capital.

Club legend Ansgar Brinkmann told AFP subsidiary SID there would be "no one there" in Bielefeld on Saturday, saying "you could probably break in anywhere in broad daylight."

Coach Michel Kniat said a German Cup win would mean "everything, simply everything," to the club, fans and supporters.

"I'm often told to relax and enjoy Berlin. I'd love to," Kniat told Die Welt, but added: "I can only do that if we actually win the cup."