DFB Pokal

Turkish midfielder Cenk Sahin has been released by Bundesliga 2 side St. Pauli after showing his support for Turkey's military actions in Syria:

The 25-year-old posted a photograph on Instagram of the Turkish flag with a caption expressing support for Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-held regions in Syria, according to the Daily Sabah. 

Turkey's Operation Peace Spring was launched Wednesday and is aimed at eliminating Kurdish forces along the border and resettling Syrian refugees.

The German side explained their decision to release the 25-year-old in a statement posted on their official club website:

"The internal review of Cenk Sahin's Instagram post on the deployment of the Turkish army in Syria has been completed. After further talks between club officials and the player, Cenk Sahin has been released from his training and playing duties with immediate effect. The prime factors in reaching the decisions were his repeated disregard for the club’s values and the need to protect the player."

"After numerous discussions with fans, members and friends whose roots lie in Turkey, it has become clear to us that we cannot and should not attempt to gauge nuances in perceptions and attitudes from other cultural backgrounds in detail. That we reject acts of war is not open to doubt or discussion, however. These acts, and the expression of solidarity with them, run counter to the values of the club."

The club also added that Sahin's contract with St. Pauli remains "valid" but he has been given permission to train and play for other teams.

Sahin's Instagram post drew criticism from supporters, who accused the midfielder of being a "war-supporter," per the Daily Sabah.

ESPN's Eren Sarigul offered his thoughts on St. Pauli's decision to release Sahin:

Sahin joined St. Pauli from Istanbul Basaksehir in 2017 after a loan spell with the club. Although he has been granted permission to play for another club he will be unable to secure a move until the winter transfer window reopens.

German football faces a culture clash as RB Leipzig prepare to contest their first DFB-Pokal final on Saturday against Bayern Munich, the most decorated club in the competition's history.

Leipzig held Bayern to a 0-0 stalemate when these teams met in the Bundesliga earlier in May, and Die Roten will again be particularly motivated to beat German football's new boys and claim their 17th title.

Sunday's duel will be Ralf Rangnick's last game in charge of Leipzig before Hoffenheim's Julian Nagelsmann takes over this summer. He'll want to sign off his second stint by making DFB-Pokal history at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. 

Date: Saturday, May 25

Time: 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET

Venue: Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany

Live Stream: German Football YouTube channel

Odds

RB Leipzig: 5-1

Draw: 10-3

Bayern Munich: 1-2

Via Oddschecker.com.

Preview

Bayern signed off an admirable title comeback by hammering Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the final week to stave off the threat posed by Borussia Dortmund and clinch their seventh Bundesliga crown in a row.

Kovac brought Die Roten back from despair earlier in the campaign to end his maiden season at their helm with at least one major title.

The DFB-Pokal has been similarly treacherous for even the giants at times, and Bayern had to squeak their way past Werder Bremen and second-division Heidenheim to get to this point, via German Football:

Bayern are unbeaten in 11 matches travelling to the capital and have won eight of those, losing only two matches in all competitions since the last week of November.

Kovac could sign off his first Bayern term with two trophies in tow, and despite their exit in the UEFA Champions League last 16, the coach believes he's done enough for a second term, per DW Sports:

As well as Rangnick, this could also be star striker Timo Werner's last game in Leipzig colours. The Germany international has only one year remaining on his contract.

Bayern have been touted as the most interested suitors for some time, and Rangnick recently acknowledged the player could depart, per Goal's Ronan Murphy:

The Bulls have also been through their share of drama en route to the final and had to rely on a 120th-minute penalty winner from Marcel Halstenberg to make it past Augsburg in the quarter-finals:

Leipzig rested a host of first-team names for their final match of the Bundesliga season—a 2-1 defeat to Werder—so they could be ready for Sunday. Kevin Kampl, Marcel Sabitzer, Emil Forsberg, Lukas Klostermann, Ibrahima Konate, Willi Orban and Halstenberg all sat out that loss.

Bayern will hope to have goalkeeper Manuel Neuer back from a calf injury, while Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery will each hope for minutes off the bench before they leave the club this summer.