German football club Kaiserslautern could be playing in the Europa League and in the domestic third division at the same time next season.
This extraordinary scenario is possible because the club reached the German Cup final on May 25 in Berlin with a 2-0 victory at third-tier Saarbrücken on Tuesday night.
The Cup winner gets direct entry into the Europa League, but at the same time Kaiserslautern are in third-last place in the second division.
It means that Kaiserslautern could be relegated by the time of the Cup final, where they either face Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen or Fortuna Düsseldorf, or the final could be in-between relegation play-off legs.
There is a precedent in club history, as Kaiserslautern won their second and so far last Cup title in 1996 one week after being relegated from the Bundesliga.
Veteran coach Friedhelm Funkel, hired recently to keep them in the second tier, hopes that history won't repeat itself.
"I don't want to go to Berlin as a relegated team. We want to avoid that at all costs. Staying in the league is much, much more important than winning the Cup," the 70-year-old said.
With a league match at SV Hamburg just around the corner on Saturday, Funkel said that he will allow his players to celebrate but at the same time "I will make sure that they will only be thinking about the next league matches."
Funkel admitted that reaching the final was very special, not only for the club for an eighth appearance but also for himself.
It will be his fifth appearance overall in the showcase match which he won won as a player with Bayer Uerdingen in 1985. He also played in the 1981 final with Kaiserslautern, and featured as a coach 1998 with MSV Duisburg and 2005 with Eintracht Frankfurt.
"I never thought I'd be travelling with a team to the Cup final in Berlin again. It's hard to believe. I'm really looking forward to it," said Funkel.
"There's such a great atmosphere there. It's always something special."
Marlon Ritter, who scored the opening goal, added: "I think the final will be a unique experience. You experience that with Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig or Frankfurt, but not when you're languishing in the second or third division.
"That's why it's a huge thing - also for the fans."
