Key Takeaways:
- Bayern Munich will encounter Stuttgart in the German Cup final on Saturday, seeking to secure their first DFB Pokal title since 2020
- The Bavarians have outscored Stuttgart by 11 goals to 3 across three victories this season and shattered the Bundesliga single-season goalscoring record with 122 goals
- Stuttgart, coached by Sebastian Hoeness, arrive as holders and underdogs, aiming to surprise the record 20-time winners in Berlin
Season Overview and Road to the Final
Bayern Munich approach Saturday’s German Cup final aware that defeat could tarnish what has otherwise been one of their most accomplished campaigns in recent memory. The Bavarians, who only a few weeks earlier stunned Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals for their first victory over the Spanish side in more than ten years, saw their dreams of a treble fade after being ousted by Paris Saint-Germain in a narrow aggregate defeat across two thrilling semi-final matches.
Domestically, Bayern have exerted overwhelming dominance throughout the Bundesliga, concluding their league campaign 16 points ahead of runners-up Borussia Dortmund. Their attacking prowess has been unmatched, netting 122 times in 34 matches. This feat not only obliterated the previous single-season record of 101 goals but also made Bayern the inaugural team in German top-flight history to average over three goals per match. Over the course of the season across all competitions, Bayern have suffered just three defeats.
🚨❌ EXCL | Manuel Neuer will miss the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday in Berlin against VfB Stuttgart due to injury (left calf). Jonas Urbig will replace him.
The recovery process is going very well. However, there is still a remaining risk. Manuel Neuer does not want to take that… pic.twitter.com/eWLOZSxfEZ
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 22, 2026
Recent Head-to-Head and Historical Context
Bayern’s encounters with Stuttgart in this campaign have all ended in victory, with a combined scoreline of 11-3. Nevertheless, failure to overcome their rivals in Berlin would be a bitter setback for a club of Bayern’s stature and aspirations.
While Bayern hold an unmatched 20 DFB Pokal trophies – a tally that eclipses Werder Bremen, the next most successful club, by 14 – their most recent triumph dates back to 2020. The intervening six-year drought constitutes their longest gap between cup titles this century, and the Bavarians have twice succumbed to lower league opposition during this period, only reaching the quarter-finals once.
A particularly painful memory came in the 2021-22 competition when Bayern suffered a 5-0 second-round loss to Borussia Monchengladbach, marking their heaviest defeat in any competition since the mid-1970s.
Bayern’s Motivation and Historical Achievements
“Our ambition is clear; we really want to win that again because it’s painful for us that we haven’t won the cup for six years,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Sunday.
Harry Kane, who secured his first major club trophy by clinching the Bundesliga title with Bayern last season, acknowledged that missing out on the DFB Pokal would cast a shadow over the team’s campaign. “If we don’t win, it will leave a bitter taste in our mouths,” Kane stated at the Bundesliga title festivities in Munich.
Victory on Saturday would see Bayern complete a domestic double for the 14th time, a mark of dominance unmatched in German football history, with no other club accomplishing the double more than once.
Stuttgart’s Resurgence Under Hoeness
The season began with a Bayern-Stuttgart clash in the newly named Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, a contest between reigning league and cup holders. As the domestic campaign concludes with the same teams vying for silverware, Stuttgart’s resurgence under coach Sebastian Hoeness – nephew to Bayern figurehead Uli Hoeness – is emphasised. Having steered Stuttgart away from relegation danger in 2023, Sebastian Hoeness has now guided them to two Champions League qualifications and their first major title in 28 years.
Despite defending their DFB Pokal crown, Stuttgart embrace the role of underdog, with striker Deniz Undav underscoring the pressure on the Bavarians: “It’s a bonus game. We’ve got nothing to lose – we’re the complete underdog,” Undav asserted, continuing, “there’s one clear favourite and that’s Bayern”.
Conclusion
As Bayern Munich and Stuttgart prepare for their fourth meeting this season, the stakes could not be higher. Bayern are determined to bring an end to a six-year drought and book an historic 14th domestic double, while Stuttgart are eager to defy expectations and retain their hold on the trophy.
