Borussia Dortmund take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the second round of the DFB-Pokal Cup on Tuesday.It's truly a clash of royalty, as the sides share 10 trophies between them .
With such glorious history behind them, it promises to be an enticing encounter.
Speaking of the hosts, Frankfurt eased past fifth-tier Engers 5-0 in the last round and comes into the fixture on the back of a two-goal victory over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga.
Der BVB overcame Rot-Weiss Essen 1-0 in their first cup game of the season. Prolific striker Serhou Guirassy popped up with a late winner in the 79th minute.
Here are some interesting storylines ahead of the latest duel between Frankfurt and Dortmund:
1) First German Cup game between Frankfurt and Dortmund since 2017 final
Although Frankfurt and Dortmund play each other twice in the domestic league, this marks their first encounter in the DFB-Pokal since they contested the 2017 final, which the latter won 2-1.
Ousmane Dembele fired Dortmund in front after eight minutes, but Ante Rebic equalized for the Eagles in the 29th minute. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang restored Der BVB's lead shortly after the hour mark from the penalty spot, which eventually got the job done for his side.
Interestingly, Dortmund's current head coach, Niko Kovac, was the Frankfurt manager back then and suffered a loss, though he guided the Eagles to another cup final the next year and beat the mighty Bayern Munich to lift the cup.
2) Guirassy and Burkardt: Tale of two strikers
Serhou Guirassy seemed unstoppable until a few weeks ago, when the Guinean was firing on all cylinders. But fast forward to today, and he's had four consecutive appearances in all competitions without a goal.
The drop in form has been so dramatic that head coach Kovac has hinted at giving him a 'creative rest', which could see Guirassy on the bench for Tuesday's clash. The 29-year-old may come as an impact substitute in the second half.
Meanwhile, Frankfurt will be led by the peerless Jonathan Burkardt, who marked his return to their starting XI with a brace at the weekend against St. Pauli. That took his tally for the season to eight goals from 11 games in all competitions.
His sensational display on Saturday should warrant him a place in their XI again tomorrow, as Burkart will be hungry for more goals.
3) Unstoppable force meets immovable object
Eintracht Frankfurt has scored 21 goals from eight games in the Bundesliga this season, the most behind only Bayern Munich. Plus, they smashed five past Engers in the first round of the German Cup, too.
Suffice to say, this is a menacing outfit with a deadly offensive vanguard that can take down opposition teams with ruthless efficiency. One can expect them to line up accordingly in tomorrow's game, too.
But Dortmund are no ordinary side. They are equally mean. With only six goals conceded in the league, Die Borussen have the best defensive record in the competition after only Bayern Munich (4), while keeping a clean sheet in five of their eight top-flight matches.
It will be an interesting tactical battle for sure.