The German Cup quarter-final clash between Saarbruecken and Borussia Moenchengladbach, scheduled for Wednesday, faced a last-minute postponement just before kick-off owing to a waterlogged pitch. Saarbrucken, a third-division club, had previously caused an upset by defeating Bayern Munich in earlier rounds. The team seemed poised for another surprise against Gladbach, but the match had to be called off due to extensive puddles that had transformed into mud, particularly in areas where the teams were warming up. The referee, Florian Badstubner, deemed the pitch unplayable and said that the situation was dangerous for the players and posed a significant injury risk.
The stadium staff had tried for hours to remove the massive amount of water with blowers in the sold-out Ludwigsparkstadion in Saarbrucken. Still, as the rain continued up to the teams’ warmup, it was decided to cancel the game. The German Football Association said the decision was made in the interests of player safety and in light of the weather forecast, which was not good.
A catch-up date has yet to be determined. The last time the Foals played a home league match in such inclement weather was on November 4, when they had to cancel their clash with Eintracht Frankfurt because of a waterlogged pitch.
Both clubs have had a rough start to the season and are still searching for their first win of the year. Saarbrucken is currently 16th in the table, while Gladbach is 18th and two points behind the relegation zone.
In the other semifinal, Bayern Munich will face FC Nuremberg. The Bundesliga champions are the clear favorites, but the hosts have been playing some very strong soccer lately and can cause an upset in the second leg.
The 2021-22 DFB-Pokal was the 79th edition of Germany’s oldest football knockout competition, run by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participated, including those from the previous year’s Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. The competition began on August 6, 2021, and ended with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on May 21, 2022. The final winner will receive a berth in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League group stage. The other finalists will earn places in the UEFA Europa League play-off round. The top four teams of the tournament earned automatic entry to the semifinals, while the remaining eight qualified in a draw from pot two. The semifinals were held on April 2 and 3.
