Hamburger SV (HSV) were created in 1887 and play their matches at the Volksparkstadion, while Werder Bremen were founded in 1899 and have their home ground at the Weserstadion.

Beyond football, there is also a historic rivalry between the cities of Hamburg and Bremen, dating back to medieval times and the Hanseatic League.

The catchment areas of Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen border on each other and overlaps between the two are not uncommon.

To date, 152 games have been contested with Werder holding a slight lead of 57 wins to HSV's 53.

After losing 1-0 at home in the first leg, Werder won 3-2 in Hamburg to advance to the final on away goals.