For the fifth-tier team from Baden-Württemberg this is the first appearance in the domestic cup competition since the merger of 2010 – and the match against Bayer 04 is without doubt the highlight of the short history of the club. And if it’s down to the Werkself then it will stay that way. After the painful exit at the semi-final stage last year against Bayern Munich, the desire is still there for a second Black and Red cup success following on from 1993. “We definitely want to go through. But we all know what can happen in first round games – Bayer 04 experienced the negative side away to Lotte two years ago and only came through in extra time against Karlsruhe last year,” said Herrlich, who knows what he’s talking about from his playing days with the Champions League winners Borussia Dortmund when they were knocked out in the first round by Regional League side SG Wattenscheid in 1996.
In spite of the huge gap between the two clubs in the German pyramid, it is important not to underestimate the supposedly lesser opponents. The approach to this game has been professional with assistant coach Nico Schneck and head analyst Marcel Daum watching Pforzheim on several occasions. Above all, the environment in front of 5,000 fans at the Holzhof Stadium in Pforzheim will be different from the Bundesliga or even compared with the last friendly away to Valencia in front of a crowd of 45,000. “To give the lads an idea we’ve shown them pictures of the stadium: Arriving by bus will be different, the pitch probably won’t be in the condition we’re used to and perhaps there will be the smell of a bratwurst,” said Herrlich who called a number of times for his players, in their role as favourites, “to absolutely maintain focus” – both in their commitment ahead of the match and on the pitch. “We know what to expect. Pforzheim will be very disciplined. They are very good at defending against counter-attacks and have three or four very big players in their ranks – we’ll have to be wide awake at set pieces.” Beyond that, the 46-year-old boss called on his players to show “enough commitment in the final third to score goals.”
In spite of the absence of Charles Aránguiz (knee), Leon Bailey (cold), Karim Bellarabi (rehab training), Lukas Hradecky (rehab training), Joel Pohjanpalo (ankle) and Panos Retsos (thigh), Herrlich is full of optimism ahead of tomorrow’s first competitive match in the new season. “After lots of individual discussions I feel the experience of Lotte two years ago is still very much in their minds and the players don’t want to experience anything like that again. That’s good enough reason to produce 100 per cent effort.”
600 Werkself fans are expected in the visitors section amongst the 4,800 spectators at the sold out Holzhof Stadium.
Roberto Pätzold has been named the new head coach of Bayer 04 Women. The 44-year-old succeeds Robert de Pauw in the role from 1 June 2024 and has signed a contract until 30 June 2026.
Show moreThe first German league title, being in the DFB Pokal final or the record run of games unbeaten: The current season has already been more than exceptional. And we can look forward with excitement to the next few weeks. We want to celebrate this historic season together in style with the fans in Leverkusen on Sunday 26 May.
Show moreThe unbeaten run continues: The Werkself beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 (HT: 2-1) on Bundesliga Matchday 32, remaining unbeaten for 48 competitive matches in a row. Granit Xhaka put Bayer 04 in front after 11 minutes before Eintracht’s Hugo Ekitiké levelled the scores (32’). Patrik Schick (44’), Exequiel Palacios (58’, pen), Jeremie Frimpong (77’) and Victor Boniface (89’, pen) then sealed a deserved away victory for the Werkself.
Show moreBayer 04 travel to the Rhine-Main region for the match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Bundesliga Matchday 32. The game kicks off today, Sunday 5 May, at 17:30 CEST. All the key info on the clash at Deutsche Bank Park is in the Matchday News.
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