Bochum, Hertha seek Cup relief after Bundesliga slump

HAMBURG - 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.

Bayern will have one eye on a trip to leaders Hamburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday, before hosting Juventus in the Champions

League.

Coach Louis van Gaal can again call on Italy striker Luca Toni who had an outing for the reserves on Friday following a three-month injury lay-off with Achilles tendon problems.

“I’m fit and ready for the first team, in my opinion,” Toni said.

“I’m available for selection as of now, and I hope the coach calls on me soon. I want to be playing for the Bayern senior team as soon as I can.”

After only four points from their first six games, Bochum decided to part company with 48-year-old Swiss coach Koller on Sunday.

Assistant Frank Heinemann and former player and youth coach Dariusz Wosz are in charge for the visit of Schalke, one of three all-Bundesliga duels.

Schalke’s solid start to the season under Felix Magath took a knock with a 2-1 home defeat to Wolfsburg on Friday.

In the other matches between Bundesliga sides, Nuremberg play Hoffenheim on Tuesday, and Cologne meet league champions VfL Wolfsburg Wednesday.

Elsewhere Wednesday, Hamburg travel to third-division side VfL Osnabrueck in a northern German duel, last season’s losing finalists Bayer Leverkusen are at Kaiserslautern, while VfB Stuttgart are at fourth-tier VfB Luebeck.

In matches between first and second-division sides, Freiburg travel to Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt host Alemannia Aachen, both Wednesday, while Borussia Moenchengladback take on visiting MSV Duisburg Tuesday.