French Shootout Between Christopher Nkunku and Randal Kolo Muani Could Decide German Cup Final
In addition to featuring two of Germany’s up-and-coming football powers, the German Cup final on Saturday will feature a matchup between France attackers Christopher Nkunku and Randal Kolo Muani.
In recent seasons, RB Leipzig, the current champion, and Eintracht Frankfurt, the five-time champion, have stepped out of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund’s shadow to become two of Germany’s most successful teams.
In five seasons, Leipzig will play in its fourth German Cup final on Saturday. If they succeed, they would become the first team since Schalke in 2001 and 2002 to successfully defend the title.
Prior to Sevilla’s victory against Roma on Wednesday, Frankfurt held the Europa League title. Frankfurt last won the domestic crown in 2018.
In their last game under coach Oliver Glasner, the Eagles will be one of Germany’s top teams if they win.
A struggle between two of Germany’s top offensive players is bubbling under the surface.
The seasons of Nkunku and Kolo Muani have been outstanding, especially in the Cup, where each has averaged at least one goal per game.
Due to their excellent performance, both have been linked to summer transfers away from their current clubs, if not the Bundesliga as a whole.
Nkunku’s last dance, perhaps?
Despite having a contract that expires in 2026, media rumors indicate that Nkunku’s transfer overseas, most likely to Premier League team Chelsea, is already finalized.
The 25-year-old, who missed France’s World Cup campaign and a number of club matches at the beginning of this year due to a knee injury, finished the season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 16 goals.
The return of the France striker gave the German Cup winners a boost to finish third in the league, guaranteeing Leipzig would once again compete in the Champions League the following year.
Leipzig fans were forced to ponder what could have been had their hero not suffered an injury, just as France fans did during the World Cup, considering that their team ended only five points behind league champion Bayern.
Nkunku celebrated his return to the France lineup on Wednesday by joining the 25-man Les Bleus team for the European Championship qualifying matches in June.
Kolo Muani, who suggested on Wednesday that the France coach “not miss” Saturday’s matchup for the German Cup, was also mentioned by Didier Deschamps.
“I think the final will be very, very good,”
‘There’s nothing else,’
While Kolo Muani wasn’t well known outside of the Frankfurt scouting department before the season, Nkunku, who earned the Bundesliga Player of the Year award in 2021–2022, was.
Kolo Muani, who joined the Eagles on a free transfer from Nantes, the 2022 French Cup champions, scored 23 goals and provided 17 assists in 45 games in all competitions this season.
In the World Cup final, which Argentina would eventually win on penalties, the striker expressed his displeasure about having his shot stopped in extra time.
He has been instrumental in Frankfurt’s Cup run, contributing to three goals and scoring six times in only five games.
Due to Kolo Muani’s outstanding play, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United have all shown interest in signing him after only one season.
Before the big game, the 24-year-old denied the rumors.
“For the time being, we must play the championship game, and as a team, we are totally focused on that. As a result, I now have nothing else going on,” Kolo Muani told German media on Wednesday.
The striker said, “I still have a long contract in Frankfurt, so I could become the best goal scorer in an Eintracht Frankfurt jersey.”
Attacking midfielder Bernd Hoelzenbein has held the record since retiring in 1983 with 212 goals in 523 games.
