The two sides met in the first round last term with the Werkself going through with a 3-0 win with goals from Kießling, Calhanoglu and Bender. “Lotte are known as a strong opponent as was evident last year. The fact they knocked out Bremen says everything about them moving up to the third division from the Regional League. We know we’ll a job on our hands,” said Bayer 04 coach Roger Schmidt.
Bayer 04 beat lower league opposition SC Hauenstein 2-1 in the first round. Lotte pulled off a sensational result in their opening match with a 2-1 victory over Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. The team, including former Bayer 04 keeper Benedikt Fernandez, finished last season as champions of the Regional League West to gain promotion to the third division where they currently lie ninth in the table with five points from four games.
The Round Two ties will be played on 25 and 26 October with four matches at 19.00 and four at 20.30 on each day. 16 Bundesliga teams are still in the tournament with RB Leipzig (losing 6-5 on penalties against Dynamo Dresden) and Werder Bremen (a 2-1 defeat against Sportfreunde Lotte) going out in the opening round. 13 second division clubs are in Round Two plus the two third tier teams Sportfreunde Lotte and Hallescher FC plus Regional League FC Astoria Walldorf.
Round Two draw in full:
Bundesliga v Bundesliga
FC Köln v TSG Hoffenheim
FC Bayern Munich v FC Augsburg
Eintracht Frankfurt v FC Ingolstadt
Bundesliga v Second division
FC Nürnberg v FC Schalke 04
Borussia Dortmund v FC Union Berlin
SC Freiburg v SV Sandhausen
FC Heidenheim v VfL Wolfsburg
Borussia Mönchengladbach v VfB Stuttgart
FC St. Pauli v Hertha BSC
SpVgg Greuther Fürth v FSV Mainz 05
Second division v Second division
Hannover 96 v Fortuna Düsseldorf
Dynamo Dresden v Arminia Bielefeld
Würzburger Kickers v TSV 1860 Munich
Third division v Bundesliga
Hallescher FC v Hamburg SV
Sportfreunde Lotte v Bayer 04
Non-league v Bundesliga
FC-Astoria Walldorf v SV Darmstadt 98
The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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After back-to-back wins at home, Bayer 04 are now out for their first away win of 2026 as they visit Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday (15:30 CET). Ahead of the Matchday 20 fixture in the Bundesliga, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about renewed confidence, Frankfurt’s recent issues and Patrik Schick’s form so far this year.
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Eintracht Frankfurt are yet to win a game in 2026 and have managed only one victory in their last 12 competitive fixtures. Having already been eliminated from the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League, the Eagles are now focusing solely on the Bundesliga as they seek to get their season back on track with the visit of the Werkself on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the lowdown on our next opponents…
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