DFB Pokal: Can the Liga 3 Champs give Stuttgart a Shock?

Arminia Bielefeld vs VfB Stuttgart

The DFB Pokal final has a fascinating look about it this year as it pitches Liga 3 winners Arminia Bielefeld against Bundesliga heavyweights VfB Stuttgart. This is the first time the underdogs have reached the final, but they will arrive in Berlin without fear having beaten 2024 top flight champions Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-final.    

Sebastian Hoeness’ Stuttgart met Europe chasing Red Bull Leipzig last week, beating them 3-2 to send the moneybags club home without a European place this season, and the winner of this final will qualify for the 2025/26 Europa League. To make matters worse VfB beat Leipzig 3-1 in the semi-final to take their place in this showcase.

But, despite the two division gap between these teams in 2024/25, this is no David vs Goliath affair.   

Bielefeld have been celebrating their return to Bundesliga 2 after winning the third tier championship under the guidance of Mitch Kniat and their hard running and combative style has seen off four top flight teams in the Cup, with Union Berlin, SC Freiburg and Werder Bremen all going the same way as Die Werkself. The semi-final victory was the most impressive showing as Bielefeld came from behind to win 2-1, with goals from Marius Worl and Max Grosser sending the cup favourites home.   

The DFB Pokal 2025 betting odds make Stuttgart the favourites to lift the trophy at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Saturday, but Arminia Bielefeld are certainly not out of the question at 3.50.

 

Talking Points

Arminia are on the climb  

These are exciting times for Bielefeld fans. There’s rarely a better feeling than climbing out of a hole after a spell of bad luck to see the good times around the corner again. Die Arminen were in the Bundesliga as recently as 2022, but back-to-back relegations left them two divisions away; and now they are on the way back. Captained by USA midfielder Mael Corboz the team has a never say die attitude and this has been the best season their fans have enjoyed for many years.

Is it about to get even better?

This is a humble club, led by manager Kniat who played in the lower divisions, and the 39-year-old coach cut his teeth as a boss with Verl, before joining Bielefeld in 2023. They have been supremely impressive at home, losing just three of their 18 league fixtures at the SchucoArena, and Bielefeld have been scoring freely in the league, bagging three goals or more on ten occasions, and skipper Corboz has led from the front with eight goals and five assists. Worl is the joint top scorer in the DFB Pokal, alongside Patrik Schick, while young striker Julian Kania has scored 16 goals in all competitions. 

This is a team full of confidence with a brilliant set of DFB Pokal 2025 results behind them, and now they face one more hurdle… between them and yet more history.  

 

Stuttgart have their sights set on Europe

A ninth-place finish in the Bundesliga was below expectations for Hoeness’ team and they will be wondering what may have been, had they performed consistently, as well as they did in the last three games, and in the cup. Stuttgart ended the campaign with a 1-0 win away to St Pauli, then a 4-0 thrashing of FC Augsburg at home before that stunning win in Leipzig. This is a team dripping with quality; Ermin Demirovic scored the winner against Leipzig last weekend and the 27-year-old striker has bagged 15 goals this season after switching from Augsburg in the summer. At 6ft 6in, the 23-year-old Nick Woltemade is a brilliant target man with clever feet and the livewire Denis Undav gives that air of unpredictability.

There is uncertainly over the fitness of key midfielder Angelo Stiller who picked up an injury against Augsburg but, otherwise, Hoeness has a fully fit squad to choose from and they have been gathering momentum. After finishing just two points behind a Europa League place this match gives Stuttgart a second chance, and they will do all they can to take it. 

 

History

Stuttgart are looking for their first piece of major silverware in 18 years, they won the Bundesliga in 2007 and are three times DFB Pokal champions, meanwhile, Bielefeld are four times Bundesliga 2 champions and twice winners of the old West German Cup.     

And the underdogs stormed to the 2025 Liga 3 title with five wins and a draw from the last six games, while Stuttgart won three, drew one and lost two over that time, but they come into this final with three impressive victories on the bounce.    

 

Betting Tip

Stuttgart are hot favourites at SBOTOP odds of 1.43 to win this final in 90 minutes, with the draw at 4.17 and Bielefeld at 5.32.

The Double chance: Arminia or Draw is available at 2.52 and, for a team which has already beaten Bayer Leverkusen and SC Freiburg, that may not be a bad offer! 

   

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