Strolling around the promenade at the Olympiastadion in Berlin ahead of Saturday's DFB Cup final, Eintracht board member Fredi Bobic cannot help but feel a tingle of anticipation mixed with pride: while other teams are already on their summer holidays, the Eagles are in the German capital, battling for a trophy, once again. "It's fantastic to be back here," he said, praising the team and hailing their development over the last couple of years. "Apart from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, any other club would be celebrating if they were here. And we're in the final for the second year running, which is certainly something to savour. It's the emotional highlight of the season for me. The match will be broadcast in over 100 countries. I'm absolutely delighted to be here."
Tifo time
That is in no small part due to the fact that Eintracht fans are sure to make the occasion an extraordinary one again. Bobic played in a couple of finals himself, but had never experienced anything like last year's atmosphere: "I had goosebumps. I'm certain the fans will be rocking the stadium again on Saturday and I'm already really looking forward to the tifo." Indeed, Bobic is confident the Eintracht faithful will outdo their Bayern counterparts in in the stands: "We'll be louder than them. We've got more energy and emotion and we need to transmit that to the players."
Character needed
Bobic is also well aware, however, that it will require more than that to get the better of the record DFB Cup winners out on the pitch, saying "a lot of positives will need to happen" if Eintracht are to lift the trophy for a fifth time. Nevertheless, he has absolute faith in the team: "The guys have got great mentality and character. That's brought us a long way this season. They did a lot of things right in the semi-final against Schalke." Anything is possible in games of this nature, and Saturday's fixture will be no exception. "All it needs is one situation: a red card, a goalkeeping mistake or for someone to score a wondergoal. The important thing is that we give it absolutely everything we've got. Thinking back to last year's final [a 2-1 defeat to Dortmund], we were the underdogs there too but still went very close."
