Borussia Dortmund to face VfL Bochum in the third round of the DFB-Pokal

Borussia Dortmund will have to overcome the challenge of local rivals VfL Bochum to qualify for the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal.

The draw for the DFB-Pokal round of 16 has been made, and Borussia Dortmund will make the short trip to the Ruhrstadion to take on VfL Bochum. The DFB-Pokal round of 16 matches will be played on 31 January-1 February and 7-8 February, 2023.

Borussia Dortmund will be determined to make a deep run in the DFB-Pokal this time around after being eliminated by St. Pauli in the round of 16 last season. They will fancy their chances of beating VfL Bochum. But as we have seen so many times in recent years, anything can happen in the DFB-Pokal. And Edin Terzic’s side will have to be at their best to make it to the quarterfinals.

After a slow start to the season, VfL Bochum have found their form in recent weeks. The arrival of Thomas Letsch as head coach has sparked a change in fortunes for Bochum, who claimed a stunning 2-1 win over Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Before their meeting in the third round of the DFB-Pokal, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Bochum will go head to head in the Bundesliga next month. The Black and Yellows failed to win their two games against Bochum last season, suffering a 4-3 defeat at home and getting a 1-1 draw away. So they will know that they cannot afford to take Bochum lightly.

Elsewhere in the DFB-Pokal round of 16, Bayern Munich will take on Mainz 05 while RB Leipzig will host TSG Hoffenheim in what could well be the tie of the round. Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin will face VfL Wolfsburg and SC Freiburg will make the trip to SV Sandhausen.