Everything you need to know about the Supercup
23rd edition of the Super Cup | Leipzig’s first appearance | The Bundesliga champions have the better record so far
The Red Bulls’ season officially begins on Saturday, when Domenico Tedesco’s side welcome FC Bayern to the Red Bull Arena. It’s our club’s first appearance in the Supercup, which is now into its 23 year.
Which team has had the most success in the Supercup? Which players have made the most Supercup appearances? And what are the chances of our cup winners getting the better of Bundesliga winners FC Bayern? We take a look at the history of the “first title of the season.”
The Bundesliga winners v the DFB-Pokal winners
Not only did RB Leipzig win their first piece of silverware in the sensational cup final on 21st May 2022, they also secured passage into the Supercup. First held in 1987, the Supercup was reintroduced in its current form in 2010 after a 14 year absence. It was previously known as the “DFB-Supercup” and was renamed the “DFL-Supercup.” It is usually contested between the winners of the DFB-Pokal and the winners of the Bundesliga, but if a club wins the league and cup double, then the Bundesliga runner-up qualifies. A total of 13 clubs have reached the final so far. Since 2010, six different clubs have contested the final: Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke, Wolfsburg, Frankfurt and now Leipzig.
Who holds the advantage?
In the 22 previous editions of the Supercup, the Bundesliga winners have triumphed on 14 occasions. The last time the league winners didn’t win the Supercup was back in 2019, when Borussia Dortmund picked up the trophy as Bundesliga runners-up. The last time the sole cup winner won it was back in 2015, when VfL Wolfsburg beat FC Bayern on penalties. The only other occasion that the sole cup winner has picked up the trophy since 2010 was back in 2011, when Schalke 04 got the better of their bitter rivals, Borussia Dortmund. In 2010, 2016 and 2020, Bayern also won the Supercup as DFB-Pokal winners, but they were also the reigning Bundesliga champions on each occasion.
When looking at the entire history of the Supercup, the sole DFB-Pokal winners have only prevailed on four occasions. The “first title of the season” has also been won by the Bundesliga runners-up four times.
Supercup Records
The record winners of the Supercup are FC Bayern, who won it for the ninth time back in 2021. BVB have won it six times, whereas Werder Bremen have lifted the title on three occasions. Saturday will be FCB’s 16th appearance in the Supercup and they will be competing for the trophy for the eleventh time in a row. Bayern have won the last ten Bundesliga titles and took part as runners-up back in 2012. Borussia Dortmund have made the second most appearances, with twelve.
Robert Lewandowski is the most prolific goal-scorer in Supercup history. The Pole, who has recently switched to FC Barcelona, has scored seven times in the competition. Along with Thomas Müller, Lewandowski has also made a record eleven appearances in the Supercup.
RB Leipzig Vs. FC Bayern is the 15th Supercup pairing. Dortmund and FC Bayern have faced-off nine times in the competition, the most of any sides.
Goals and drama are guaranteed
Goals and excitement are guaranteed on Saturday. 73 goals have been scored in the previous 22 Supercup finals, with an average of 3.3 goals per match. There have also been 42 goals in the previous 14 meetings between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern, an average of 3 goals per game.
The Supercup has been decided on penalties on five occasions. Bremen beat Leverkusen in 1993, BVB beat Kaiserslautern in 1996, Schalke beat BVB in 2011, Wolfsburg beat Bayern in 2015 and FCB prevailed from the spot against BVB in 2017.
The trophy itself is half gold, which represents the DFB-Pokal and half silver, which represents the Bundesliga. It is 53 centimeters in height and 5.5 Kilograms in weight. Find out who will lift it at 20:30 CEST on Saturday night.