Hamburg, Sep 21 (DPA) VfL Bochum will be looking for some cup cheer when they take on Ruhr rivals Schalke 04 Tuesday after a poor start to the season which led to the dismissal Sunday of coach Marcel Koller.
Meanwhile, fellow strugglers Hertha Berlin, who have slumped to the bottom of the Bundesliga, need a German Cup confidence booster when they travel to second-division outfit 1860 Munich Wednesday.
Hertha's dramatic slide has led to speculation that coach Lucien Favre could be the next to go, but the 51-year-old Swiss trainer said he would not be standing down.
'We are all to blame, me as well. It is a very, very difficult situation,' Favre said after a 4-0 home defeat to Freiburg on Sunday.
'We have to wake up, work even harder, train even more. It is a huge challenge for me to get us out of this.'
Favre also appears to have the backing of the board, with general manager Michael Preetz saying Favre's position was not in doubt.
'We know what it's like in football. When you don't get the results these questions have to be asked,' he said.
'I want to remind people of the successful two years with Lucien Favre. We are convinced he is the right trainer for Hertha Berlin.'
In other second-round matches, holders Werder Bremen Wednesday take on Hamburg second division side St Pauli, who were knocked off the top Sunday following a 2-1 home defeat to Kaiserslautern.
It's a welcome home cup match for Werder, whose winning cup run last season was achieved without a single game in the Weser Stadium.
Record cup winners Bayern Munich face second-division Rot-Weiss Oberhausen in the Allianz Arena Tuesday after a 2-1 defeat of Nuremberg moved them to third in the Bundesliga.