Cup Weekend

This Saturday night and early Sunday morning Australia time the FA Cup, Scottish FA Cup and German Cup finals are going to be played.

The FA Cup. 

This will be the first time Everton and Chelsea meet in the FA Cup final.  The last time the two teams meet in the FA Cup was in the 200-06 season when Chelsea beat Everton 4-1 in the fourth round.  The score finished 0-0 in both league matches this season between the teams.  Although Chelsea is one of the sides that make up the EPL's big four Everton have actually won the FA cup more times, 5 to Chelsea's 4.  Everton have also played in the final more times 12.  Chelsea have played in the final 8 times.  The last time Chelsea played in the final was in 2007 when they beat Manchester Untied 1-0 thinks to a Didier Drogba goal in the 26 minute of extra time.  The last time Everton played in the final they also beat Manchester Untied 1-0.  This was the 1995 final Paul Rideout scored the only goal in the 30th minute.  An intresting fact about that match was Everton's sub goalkeeper for the match was Australian Jason Kearton.  For the final Everton will be missing midfielder Mikel Arteta and centre back Phil Jagielka, Chelsea will be missing right winger Joe Cole.  Tim Cahill will become the second Australian to play in two FA Cup Finals.

The Scottish Cup.

The Scottish Cup is the second oldest cup competition in the world (first played in 1873-74), the FA Cup is the oldest.  Rangers are playing Falkirk in this years final.  Rangers have never played Falkirk in the final.  Rangers are the second most successful team in the cups history winning it 32 times (Celtic have won the cup 34 times) and playing in the final 49 times.  Rangers are the current holders of the Scottish Cup, last year beating Queen of South 3-2, Kris Boyd scored the winer in the 71st minute.  Falkirk have won the Scottish Cup twice and have played in the final 3 times.  The last time Falkirk won the Scottish cup was in 1957 when they beat Kilmarnock, the final finished as a 1-1 draw and in the replay four days later Falkirk were 2-1 winners after extra time.  The last time Falkirk played in the final was in 1997 when after waiting for forty years Kilmarnock got their revenge beating them by a goal to nil.         

The DFB-Pokal

Compared to the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup the DFB-Pokal is only young with the first final being played on the 8th of December 1935 between 1. FC Nuremberg and FC Schalke.  The pokal (cup) was not held between 1943 and 1953.  The 2009 DFB-Pokal final will be contested by Bayer Leverkusen and Wender Bremen and played at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, which has hosted every final since 1985.  Bayer Leverkusen and Wender Bremen have not previously met in the final.  Werder Bremen are the second most successful team in the DFB-Pokal history winning the cup 5 times and playing in the final 8 times.  Bayer Leverkusen have played in the final twice winning it in 1993.  The last time Werder Bremen played in the final was in 2004 when they beat Alemannia Aachen 3-2.  From that side Frank Bauman is the only player still at Werder Bremen, it will be his last game before he retires.  It will also be Diego's last game for Werder Bremen before he moves to Juventus for 24.5 million euros.