On Tuesday, Sandhausen beat Premier League newcomers Huddersfield Town, managed by the German coach David Wagner, with a 3-2 win in a home friendly. The match against Bayer 04 is the final friendly for SVS before they take on newly promoted Holstein Kiel in the opening game in their sixth division two season – the reward for continual development at the club.
Between 1978 and 2007, the club from the small town near Heidelberg, played – with the exception of one season in the Regional League – in the Baden-Württemberg Oberliga and that 28 years represents the longest period any club has played at that level. During this period, SVS won the German Amateur Championship twice and reached the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup in 1986.
With promotion to the Regional League South in 2007, Sandhausen laid the foundations for making their name in German professional football. A year later they qualified for the newly found third division and were promoted to the second tier in 2012. In spite of comparatively limited financial means and the lowest number of members in the second division SVS were able to stay up year after year. In 2016 Kenan Kocak took over as head coach when Alois Schwartz departed for FC Nürnberg and, in his first season, he took Sandhausen to a tenth-place finish – the highest ever finish in the club's history. In the coming season the 36-year-old manager of the Black and Whites will be the youngest coach in the second division.
Reunion with ‘Richy’, Erik and Leart
Sandhausen and Bayer 04 have never met in a competitive match but there are a few points of contact between the two clubs. Homegrown Bayer 04 player Richard Sukuta-Pasu has been in the hunt for goals with SVS since 2016. 'Richy' was in the Leverkusen U19 Team that won the German Championship in 2007 and the Cup a year later and in 2008 he became a European Champion with the Germany U19 side. The central striker played five games for the Werkself first team in the 2008/2009 season. Midfielder Erik Zenga and left back Leart Paqarda are two other players brought through the ranks at Kurtekotten to play for Sandhausen.
Straight off after the final whistle
For two of the Bayer 04 management the trip to the Electoral Palatinate represents a visit to their roots. Sporting manager Jonas Boldt grew up a few kilometres away in Heidelberg and head coach Heiko Herrlich comes from the nearby city of Mannheim. After the final whistle at the BWT Stadium, the Werkself will head straight for the Salzburger Land for a week-long training camp in Zell am See/Kaprun. The next friendly of the pre-season will be played on Thursday 27 July at 18.30 CET against Antalyaspor.
Alejo Sarco has left Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join Sporting Gijón in Spain’s second division. Bayer 04 have secured a buy-back clause for the 20-year-old Argentine striker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed 16-year-old midfield prospect Gabriel Minutillo on a long-term contract. The Germany youth international will play for the U19s this season.
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Bayer 04 preparations for the 2026/27 season are in full swing, with the first friendly now under their belts. Although there are still around seven weeks to go until the first Bundesliga home game in early September, there is already huge anticipation for the start of competitive action for head coach Carles Martínez’s team at the BayArena. For the Bundesliga home matches of the new season, here is the latest information regarding the first phase of single-match ticket sales. The tried-and-tested early-bird phase remains in place. From 23 to 31 July, tickets for matches will go on sale on weekdays; the early-bird phase ends on 5 August at the latest – provided tickets are still available by then.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir for the time being.
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