Eintracht Frankfurt Vs Borussia Dortmund [1–1 (2–4)] – DFB-Pokal 2025/2026: How Niko Kovač Tactics Survived An Intense Cup Fight – Tactical Analysis

The DFB-Pokal has its own set of rules, which is a very popular saying in Germany.

While in the Bundesliga, only one or two teams typically compete for the championship, the German Cup has been open to everybody over the last couple of years, with four different teams winning the final in Berlin in the previous five years.

In the second round, we rarely get an absolute top game simply because many teams from the 2. Bundesliga and even 3. Liga are still in the competition, but the draw spat out some very interesting games this season.

The most interesting game in the second round this year was Eintracht Frankfurt against Borussia Dortmund.

Two top teams in the Bundesliga, Frankfurt won the DFB Pokal in 2018, while Borussia Dortmund won in 2021.

As a result, we were able to witness the matchup of two of the better teams in the competition over the last couple of years.

With both teams competing in the UEFA Champions League, the load on the players is becoming increasingly high at this time of year.

Therefore, the game was more of a tough-fought battle than a display of incredible football, but it was still the most interesting game of this round.

In the end, Niko Kovač and Borussia Dortmund beat Dino Topmöller’s Eintracht Frankfurt team in a penalty shootout, reaching the Round of 16 in the competition and keeping their title hopes for the season alive.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine the tactics employed by Kovač and Toppmöller, the games unfolding, the challenges faced by both teams in playing fluid football, and how Borussia Dortmund managed to overcome Frankfurt.

Frankfurt Attempts To Stop Dortmund

Going into the game, Borussia Dortmund were given a better chance to win by pretty much everyone.

Frankfurt have had some troubles over the last couple of weeks after a great start to the season.

Therefore, it was no surprise that Kovač’s men dominated possession from the start, and Frankfurt fell back into the second pressing line rather often.

Frankfurt employed a midfield press and attempted to prevent Dortmund from advancing into the final third, capitalizing on their struggles with ball security while building up against them.

Toppmöller’s team overall looks better in counterattacking situations than when they have to dominate possession against weaker competition, so it was no surprise at all that they were actually playing the role of the underdog on Tuesday, even though they played at home.

Niko Kovač brought a 3-4-2-1 formation to BVB and has been very successful with it during his tenure there.

One reason he uses this formation is that it easily shifts into a 3-2-5 shape when in possession.

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