The quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal kick-off this week and will see Taiwo Awoniyi’s Union Berlin host Afeez Aremu’s St. Pauli on Tuesday night.
Union Berlin beat Turkgucu Munchen 1-0 in the first round of the cup competition before picking up a 3-1 extra-time victory over Waldhof Mannheim in the next round. They faced city rivals Hertha Berlin in the last 16 of the competition last month, winning 3-2.
The hosts have never made it past the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal, losing 3-1 to Bayer Leverkusen in their last attempt, and will now be hoping for better luck this time around.
St Pauli carried out one of the biggest upsets in recent DFB-Pokal history as they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the last 16 of the tournament. They saw off FC Magdeburg and Dynamo Dresden in the earlier rounds.
St Pauli will make their debut in the quarterfinals of the domestic cup on Tuesday and will be looking to test their mettle against another top-flight opposition.
Tuesday’s game will mark the 25th meeting between Union Berlin and St Pauli. The hosts have won 11 of their previous meetings, while the visitors have won four fewer. There have been six draws between the two sides.
The two teams last faced off in a 2. Bundesliga clash back in 2019. St Pauli won the game 3-2.
This season has seen the duo of Aremu and Awoniyi impressing for their respective clubs. They have both churned out great performance.
Aremu and Awoniyi are expected to start the game at the German capital on Tuesday.
It will recalled that Awoniyi has made 31 appearances in all competitions this season. As for Aremu he has played 17 times.
It will be the first time the duo play on opposing sides since moving to Germany.
Awoniyi is expected to be named in the Nigeria team that plays Ghana in the two legged FIFA World Cup qualifiers play-offs in March.
His compatriot Afeez Aremu has impressed Nigeria’s technical handlers and reports suggests he will be included in the Super Eagles team for the game.
Union Berlin Predicted XI (3-5-2): Andreas Luthe; Paul Jaeckel, Knoche, Timo Baumgartl; Christopher Trimmel, Rani Khedira, Genki Haraguchi, Grischa Prömel, Niko Giesselmann; Sheraldo Becker, Taiwo Awoniyi
St Pauli Predicted XI (4-3-1-2): Nikola Vasilj; Luca-Milan Zander, Adam Dzwigala, Jakov Medic, Leart Paqarada; Jackson Irvine, Afeez Aremu Olalekan, Finn Ole Becker; Daniel-Koffi Kyereh; Guido Burgstaller, Simon Makienok