Although champions of Germany back in 1912, this is Kiel’s first season in the Bundesliga. The Werkself have only faced the Storks four times before. Two of those came in the 1978/79 Bundesliga 2 North, with a pair of 2-1 wins, before a 3-1 victory in the 2003/04 DFB Pokal prior to this season’s 2-2 draw at the BayArena in the Bundesliga.
Holstein currently sit bottom of the Bundesliga, with their total of 13 points from 22 games the second worst by a top-flight newcomer in the era of three points for a win. Only Greuther Fürth have been worse off at this stage of their maiden campaign (12 points in 2012/13).
Kiel are without a win in their last five games. They have so far managed just three victories in their 22 Bundesliga fixtures (all at home). Marcel Rapp’s side also have the worst defence in the division with 57 goals conceded, but they are bold going forward and have netted 34 times themselves, which is only two fewer than fourth-placed RB Leipzig, for example. The promoted side have also been good for late goals, earning seven points from losing positions thanks to strikes in the final 15 minutes – only five teams have better numbers in that regard. You can find out more about today’s opponents in our in-depth profile.
The Holstein-Stadion was first opened in 1911 and is therefore the oldest stadium in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and one of the 20 oldest in Germany. It has a capacity of 15,034, making it the second smallest in the 2024/25 Bundesliga. It’s around 500 kilometres from the BayArena.
Asked at his pre-match press conference about the state of the pitch, Kiel boss Rapp said: “The pitch isn’t currently in the best condition due to the weather. It could be a slight disadvantage for teams who like to pass the ball.”
A total of 1,700 fans will be making the trip from Leverkusen to support the team. The Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team have as usual put together information for all travelling supporters HERE.
The German FA (DFB) have appointed Daniel Schlager to oversee this game. The 35-year-old has previously taken charge of 11 fixtures involving the Werkself (W7, D2, L2). His assistants are Sven Waschitzki-Günther and Arno Blos; the VAR is Felix Brych.
Bayer 04 host Borussia Mönchengladbach at the BayArena on matchday 12 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
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“As far as mentality and determination are concerned, we have nothing to reproach ourselves for,” Robert Andrich said up after the first home defeat for the Werkself this term. In terms of their play, too, the Black and Reds put in a respectable performance for long stretches of this intense and physical match, outperforming VfB Stuttgart in most areas. It was only in terms of efficiency in front of goal that the Swabians had the edge over the Werkself. Head coach Carles Martínez wants to learn from this so that, in future, they can “win this sort of match too”. The Werkself review.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career working as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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