Position
They did it again. Teutonia 05 won the Hamburg state cup competition for the second time in succession since 2022 and thereby again qualified for the first round of the DFB Cup. That was secured with a 1-0 win for FC Teutonia 05 Ottensen against Oberliga champions TSV Sasel. In a repeat of last season, Teutonia face a Bundesliga club in the first round of the cup. "We are very much looking forward to welcoming one of the best teams in Germany to the Millerntor Stadium," said Liborio Mazzagatti, sporting director at T05, ahead of the game against Bayer 04. "We want to provide the sporting city of Hamburg with a great event on and off the pitch. It should be an experience for all supporters."
That was not possible last year in the first DFB Cup tie for the Hamburg club against RB Leipzig. The Ottensen home venue has an artificial pitch, which is not permitted for DFB Cup games, so the tie had to be played at another stadium. There was no other ground available in the Hamburg with the result that the right to play at home was eventually swapped with Leipzig. The fourth tier team lost 8-0 at the Red Bull Arena against the favourites and later DFB cup winners RB Leipzig. Now everything is supposed to be different. Mazzagatti is very grateful to FC St Pauli for their constructive and positive support. Ottensen are hoping for an exciting cup tie atmosphere at the Millerntor Stadium on Heiligengeistfeld with a capacity of 30,000, which is just five kilometres from their Stadion Hoheluft,
The FC Teutonia 05 team will definitely go into the game against the Werkself with lots of confidence. The club are top of the Regional League North after two matches. And without conceding a goal. A 5-0 opening win away to fellow promotion rivals SC Weiche Flensburg was followed by a 3-0 victory in the city derby against the Hamburg SV second team at the weekend. Six points, eight goals for and none against – a brilliant start for the ambitious Ottensen team who are looking for promotion to the third division.
PersonNEl
The most important changes in personnel announced by the club at the end of June: The Austrian Dominik Glawogger was presented as the new head coach. The 33-year-old manager was previously the U17 coach at SSV Jahn Regensburg and before that in charge of the U23 team at the Portuguese top-flight club Vitória Guimarães and the Holstein Kiel U19s. "With Dominic we have brought in one of the most promising coaches in Austria," said Liborio Mazzagatti at the presentation of the new man at the helm.
More well known than Glawogger in Germany is the new assistant coach André Trulsen . The 58-year-old has a wealth of experience in that role at a high level from his time at VfB Stuttgart, FC Köln, TSG Hoffenheim and at FC St Pauli. The Hamburg-born Trulsen was a legend at the Millerntor with 409 appearances for St Pauli. He now looks "forward with great anticipation to the forthcoming season in the Regional League and the DFB Cup tie against Bayer 04," said Trulsen. "I'd like to play my part in a successful season with my many years of experience."
Ottensen have been able to hold on to a large part of their squad for the first time in several years and are accordingly settled but they did lose three key players in Max Brandt, Maik Lukowicz and Pascal Steinwender. Coach Dominik Glawogger is happy with the "improved structure of the team" and he highlights the fact the club has brought in "two experienced players" in defender Tobias Schwede (from FC Saarbrücken) and centre forward Serkan Dursun (Berliner AK). And new signings Fabio Maiolo (FV Illertissen) and Michael Igwe (Eimsbütteler TV) have impressed in their performances in the first two Regional League fixtures. 26-year-old Affam Ifeadigo is an established starter. The striker moved from Oldenburg to Ottensen in the winter and scored seven goals (plus five assists) in 16 games in the Rückrunde and he has already netted five times in the first four games this season.
Glawogger will have to manage without the following players against Bayer 04: Luis Coordes, Emanuel Mirchev (both in rehab), Serkan Dursun (muscular problems) and Nick Brisevac, who played for Bayer 04 youth teams for four years, but he is not ready to play again following an ankle operation.
PERFORMERS
Teutonia have proved to be very effective in front of goal in the previous five games of the season. They scored 21 goals in five games including two games against district lead teams in the Hamburg State Cup. T05 have a number of dangerous strikers and midfielders such as Affam Ifeadigo, Michael Igwe, Ole Wohlers, Kevin Weidlich and Fabian Graudenz. The team have kept clean sheets in the Regional League to date this term.
Problems
The defence was not always solid last term. There was a general lack of consistency. In the first half of the season the Hamburg team were in the bottom third of the table for a long time. An impressive Rückrunde saw the team climb up to fourth place. It remains to be seen how far the team under coaching duo Glawogger/Trulsen can settle down and fulfil the great expectations at the club.
Prediction
The Regional League side are obviously underdogs in the clash with the team from the Bundesliga. However, the Werkself will definitely not underestimate their opponents. How uncomfortable the first round of the cup can be was evident last season when Bayer 04 lost 4-3 to third division SSV 07 Elversberg. This will not only be the game of the season for Ottensen in front of their own fans but also one of the greatest experiences in the club's history. The impressive start to the Regional League campaign provides an additional boost for the club from the Hanseatic city. They have nothing to lose on Saturday. The most important target for the season is definitely promotion to the third division.
