Lotte unlikely to let cup dream end without a fight

German Cup quarter-final
BT Sport ESPN, 5.30pm Tuesday

Lotte’s dream run in the German Cup has lasted that bit longer than anticipated courtesy of a postponement but a full-strength Borussia Dortmund ought to end the minnows’ fun.

This quarter-final tie was called off a couple of weeks ago because of the state of the pitch in Lotte, deemed so bad that the tie is now being played a couple of miles down the road in Osnabruck.

That, of course, is unfortunate for followers of the big outsiders, who had been hoping to take advantage of playing at their 12,000-capacity stronghold, only an hour or so up the road from Dortmund but another world compared to the Westfalenstadion.

Moving the tie to Osnabruck improves Dortmund’s prospects again though Lotte are capable of making sure they go down with a bang. Both teams to score at 6-4 looks the bet.

Lotte have been magnificent in the tournament so far, beating first Werder Bremen, then Bundesliga rivals Leverkusen, before toppling 1860 Munich in the last 16.

So impressed has Thomas Tuchel been that he insists his team are treating the third-tier outfit as they would a top-flight adversary.

Ismail Atalan’s men like to be positive – sitting back isn’t an option and nor should it be given what Dortmund can throw at them.

Interestingly, Dortmund’s two cup ties – against Berlin teams Union and Hertha – have both been settled on penalties, yet Tuchel played a full-strength team against Hertha.

He’ll do the same again even though they play Ingolstadt in the league on Friday, and since BVB won’t want extra time or penalties, expect a game of goals – but no shock.

Recommendation
Both teams to score
2pts 6-4 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes