Archrivals 1. FC Kaiserslautern and SV Waldholf Mannheim meet for the first time in more than four years when the Red Devils cross the Rhine River for a DFB Pokal first-round match on Friday evening.

Kickoff at Carl Benz Stadium in Mannheim is slated for 6 p.m.

The two teams play in separate levels of the German soccer pyramid. Kaiserslautern has been a member of the 2. Bundesliga, or the second tier since the 2022-23 season, and Mannheim is in the 3. Liga, or third tier, since the 2019-2020 campaign.

The DFB Pokal, or German Cup, is a 64-team tournament made of teams from across Germany no matter the league. All 36 teams in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga team qualify, as do the Top 4 finishers in the 3. Liga in the previous season. Another 21 made the cut by winning regional cups, and the final three are awarded to regional associations with the most men’s teams.

FCK and Mannheim’s rivalry stretches back decades to 1983, when Mannheim earned promotion to the Bundesliga. At the time, their stadium wasn’t deemed suitable for Bundesliga action, and Mannheim moved into Ludwigshafen’s Südwest Stadium, which Kaiserslautern fans and officials at the time called it an expansion into the Red Devils’ territory.

The two clubs squared off 14 times in the Bundesliga from 1983-87, with Mannheim winning five, Kaiserslautern winning four and the two tying five times. The duo played together in the German second tier for just one season in 1996-97, with both posting one victory, and they played to five ties and one FCK victory in the 3. Liga from 2019 to 2022.

The last time the two clubs squared off was on Feb. 20, 2022, which ended a goalless tie. Only two players are either roster played in that match: FCK captain Marlon Ritter and German-American and Mannheim striker Terrence Boyd, who played for the Red Devils in 2022.

Friday’s contest also is the rivals’ third DFB Pokal match. FCK won both matches — 3-1 in extra time in 1987 and 3-2 in 2001.

The Red Devils are missing striker Ivan Prtajin will miss as he continues to recover from an Achilles tendon tear. Joining him on the injury list is Finnish midfielder Naatan Skyttä, whose suffered a knee injury in last Saturday’s 0-0 tie with FCK’s other rival, Karlsruhe SC.