Watch FC Energie Cottbus Vs. FC Bayern Munich Live Stream: Bayern Opens DFB-Pokal Defense, Start Time, Preview

German Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich open their quest for a record 20th DFB-Pokal, or German Cup, and their second in a row. The team will face a former Bundesliga team that now languishes in Germany’s fourth tier, FC Energie Cottbus — a team that has scored a mere five goals in the only six matches the two teams have ever played, according to Footlive stats. But Energie Cottbus did actually win a match against Bayern in 2008. The first visit by the 29-time German titlists to the Brandenburg-based club’s home ground in 10 years will likely go about the same as five of the previous six matches in the game that will live stream from Cottbus.

To find out how to watch a live stream of the FC Energie Cottbus vs. FC Bayern Munich German Cup first-round match, see the streaming information at the bottom of this article. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. Central European Summer Time at the 22,500-capacity — though only about 11,000 with seats — Stadion der Freundschaft in Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany, on Monday, August 12.

In the United States, the start time is 2:45 p.m. EDT, 11:45 a.m. PDT. In the United Kingdom, the match gets underway at 7:45 p.m. British Summer Time. In China, the start time will be 2:25 a.m. on Tuesday, August 13, China Standard Time.

Unfortunately, given the history of FC Energie Cottbus fans, the real drama may take place in the stands. As SB Nation documents, like many teams formerly based in the now-defunct German Democratic Republic, better known as East Germany, Cottbus is known for a right-wing extremist element in its fan base, fueled by the far-right “ultra” — or hooligan — gang Inferno Cottbus. The club has recently taken steps to crack down on the right-wing hooliganism, but in a stadium that is only about half seated, trouble could be in the works.

On the pitch, Bayern will attempt to recover from a lackluster effort in the German Supercup that saw them lose to archrivals Borussia Dortmund 2-0, according to Bundesliga. Bayern should field a near-full strength side in the DFB-Pokal match, with Spanish midfielder Javi Martinez the only absence due to a lingering injury.

To watch a free live stream of the FC Energie Cottbus vs. FC Bayern Munich DFB-Pokal opening round showdown, log in to ESPN3, the online-only network offered by the sports broadcasting giant ESPN. ESPN3 is free of charge to anyone with cable or satellite TV service provider login credentials and is available through the ESPN and WatchESPN apps for mobile devices, as well as on set-top streaming boxes, such as the Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire.

However, there is a way to watch FC Energie Cottbus vs. FC Bayern Munich live online for free without a cable login. Without the aforementioned credentials, fans can sign up for a free trial of a multi-channel live TV streaming package, such as Sling TV or YouTube TV. Those internet TV services require credit card information and subscription fees, but they each offer free seven-day trial periods, allowing fans to watch the German Cup first-round match at no charge. Note that while Sling TV offers ESPN3 as part of its regular package, YouTube TV viewers will need to use their newly-acquired login credentials to sign in to the ESPN app or website to access ESPN3.

In Germany, Sky Go Deutschland will live stream the DFB-Pokal match. The Austrian service Servus TV is also scheduled to carry a live stream of the first-round Cup clash in that country, while the German public broadcaster Das Erste also is set to stream the game.

Internationally, the subscription-based Bayern TV will carry a live stream.

Direct TV Sports Caribbean will stream the game across many of the Caribbean islands. In China, PPTV 1 will live stream the Cup final. For a list of other outlets around the globe that will stream the FC Energie Cottbus vs. FC Bayern Munich match, be sure to check Live Soccer TV.

In the United Kingdom, there will be no television broadcast or live stream offered for the FC Energie Cottbus vs. FC Bayern Munich match. But fans can likely watch the match through another provider listed in this article by using a VPN service, such as those recommended by CNet, or by using the built-in VPN that comes with the Opera web browser.