Gertjan Verbeek clarified in his press conference that "the favorite is not always the winner". VfL Bochum will face 1. FC Kaiserslautern in Bochum's Rewirpowerstadion, and the hosts expect a "special atmosphere" in the DFB-Pokal second round.

Bochum in a lull

Bochum are amongst the favorites for promotion to the Bundesliga and had a very good start into new 2. Bundesliga season. They boast the third best attack and second best defence in the league at present. 

Their last two matches, against RB Leipzig and FSV Frankfurt, were lost, and the defeat to the latter opponents was a particular problem, given that they led 0-2 at half time.

Bochum can put their trust in Simon Terodde, because the striker is in terrific form and is so important for VfL. With nine goals out of 12 matches, the 27-year-old will definitely be the key player in upcoming match.

Kaiserslautern crave consistency

The target is clear. 'Lautern want to spring a surprise in Bochum. The team is looking forward, but remain modest and just want to play good football as they already did in end of September. Kaiserslautern won 1-2 during Konrand Fünfstück's debut as the Red Devils' coach.

The last two matches were also lost - like VfL Bochum - but Fünfstück's team want to make up for their mistakes against Sandhausen and Karlsruhe.

An important player in this meeting is Terodde's opposite number, Kacper Przybylko. With three goals and one assist he's currently topscorer in K'lautern's squad. 

Verbeek and Fünfstück have their say

VfL Bochum's coach, Gertjan Verbeek, spoke about the "cup law" and that everyone has the chance to win their match in the cup competition DFB-Pokal.

"At the end of the match is a winner and a looser. In the division you can make up for your loss, but in cup you don't have this opportunity." He closed his press conference with a simple summary:  "Either you make it into the next round or you are out." 

The Dutchmen might rotate his squad to surprise their opponents, as they are keen to bounce back from recent defeats. Kaiserslautern have lost their two last matches and coach Konrad Fünfstück will definitely change his tactics. 

On the other hand, Fünfstück spoke about upcoming match and recognised that Bochum are in super form and are a strong opponent in their DFB-Pokal clash. Despite slight chances to spring a surprise in Bochum, Kaiserslautern are desperate to make up for their last two matches.

Prediction

VfL Bochum are definitely the favorites coming into this game and want to make sure that follows through into the match. Kaiserslautern have a slight chance in this meeting, though the players don't give the impression that they want to give everything for this match to beat their opponent. 

So, as a result, Bochum should be careful and wait for what Kaiserslautern players will do. On the other hand, the visitors must remain compact and concentrated and not allow Bochum any chance to counter.