Second division promotion contenders Dynamo Dresden are hoping for a surprise in the DFB Cup. "The aim must be to go one round further," said head coach Thomas Stamm ahead of the home game against Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 04, which will not be played until Monday (18:00/Sky) due to a city festival. "It can be difficult in ten games against Mainz. If we go beyond our limits in one game, I believe it's possible for us to progress to the next round."
The Swiss coach described the team from the Rhineland as "incredibly intense, very homogeneous and with a lot of quality on the ball": "Mainz deserve to play internationally."
New attacking options
With new signing Vincent Vermeij, Stamm has another attacking alternative and sees the 31-year-old striker, who the 42-year-old had already trained with SC Freiburg's second team, as an option. "Vince has done a decent preparation, I think he's done everything," Stamm said of the 1.96-metre Dutchman, who moved to the Elbe from Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Stamm can imagine the new signing forming a forward line with the seven-centimetre shorter Christoph Daferner. Stamm describes the two professionals as completely different types of players. With Stefan Kutschke, there could also be a three-man forward line on the pitch. But Stamm doesn't want to disrupt the system: "We probably won't play with two strikers that often."
However, Stamm is looking forward to new options, especially for the cup game. "If you're behind, you can play with two or even three. You can take more risks, especially in the cup. That's something special, which is also what makes this competition so exciting," said the coach, who will push this tension to the limit: "The aim must be to go one round further."
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