Today's DFB Cup tie is the first meeting of the Regional League side from Hamburg – Ottensen and the Werkself. That makes T05 opponent number 213 for Bayer 04 in professional football.
Teutonia qualified for the DFB Cup for the second time in succession this year – and indeed for the second time ever. Last season they went out to the eventual DFB Cup winners RB Leipzig in an 8-0 defeat.
The T05 team, managed by the Austrian coach Dominik Glawogger and his assistant and former St Pauli player André Trulsen, can expect to face attacking and goal hungry opponents this afternoon. Bayer 04 have scored in every one of their past 26 cup ties with no other club currently having such a long run of scoring in this competition. The Werkself have also scored in the last 31 away cup ties – that is a current record in the DFB Cup.
The new third kit will be used for the first time at St Pauli’s Millerntor stadium. The shirt represents the three regional rivers of the Wupper, Dhünn and Rhine that meet in Leverkusen in the form of white lines on a cyan blue background. The new third kit is available online at at Bayer 04 fan shops. You can order the shirt HERE.
There will be a Man of the Match award at every DFB Cup tie this season. The selection will be made by a jury composed up of representatives of the sporting management of the Germany national teams. That includes male and female coaches with the DFB (U15s up to senior national teams). The trophy will be presented after the final whistle as part of an interview by the TV rights holder Sky.
Bayer 04 head coach Xabi Alonso will make his debut on the touchline as a coach in the DFB Cup tie against Ottensen. His experience in the cup is different as a player at Bayer Munich: He won the DFB Cup with the record champions in the 2015/16 season. He made a total of eleven appearances in this competition.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Tom Bauer as the match referee. The 26-year-old will be assisted by Rafael Foltyn and Felix Prigan and the fourth official is Alexander Roppelt. VAR is not used in the first round of the DFB Cup.
While the Werkself only start in the Bundesliga next weekend, Teutonia 05 have already played two matches in the Regional League North – with great success: The team from the Hanseatic city won both games scoring eight goals and keeping two clean sheets. That puts T05 top of the table. Further information on today's opponents are available in the lowdown on our next opponents.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app – just log on.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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