An interesting fact: Herrlich made his first professional appearance in August 1989 for Bayer 04 against KSC. That match ended in a 1-1 draw with the 17-year-old Herrlich coming on for Marek Lesniak with ten minutes to play. Almost 28 years later, the Werkself coach described the excitement felt by himself and his players ahead of the opening match of the season. "I'm really looking forward to it and I feel the team can hardly wait to get started," said Herrlich.
Everyone at Leverkusen is aware KSC are tough opponents for the first round of the cup competition. In spite of the many changes since relegation from the second division last season – 26 departures, 20 rivals – the team from Baden are definitely amongst the best the third division has to offer. "Karlsruher have a good squad with some great individual players who mostly come from the performance centres at professional clubs. The gap between the Bundesliga and the third division is not that big in general. Anything's possible in games like this," warned Herrlich. However, the coach is convinced the Werkself, who set off for Karlsruhe straight after afternoon training with the support of some 1,000 fans, will approach the game in serious mood determined to reach the second round.
"The players know it's down to them. Important thing is for us to approach the game fully focused with the absolute desire to win. And then we'll succeed in that endeavour," said Herrlich who has to do without long-term injury Tin Jedvaj and the skipper Lars Bender (ankle injury). All other players, including Confed cup participants and the U21 European Champion Dominik Kohr, are in "great shape" according to Herrlich.
That will be definitely be needed against the strong third division side (DFB Cup winners in 1955 and 1956) if Bayer 04 want to progress in the domestic cup competition. "You can get to the final in a few games in the Cup. That's our aim at the end of the day. But first we have to overcome the first hurdle. We are fully focused on Karlsruher and we definitely want to win the first game to get the season off to a good start," declared Herrlich setting out his stall and he announced – according to the current state of fitness – he was able to field the best possible side. So everything is set up for a successful start to the season in Black and Red.
Construction work continues on the ‘Haus der Talente’ on Kurtekottenweg in Leverkusen, where 36 young elite athletes will find a new home from next summer. The building team from Temmink Bau, led by Thomas Wellers, are hard at work. Over the past few days, excavators, wheeled loaders and rollers have removed 2,500 cubic metres of soil to excavate the basement.
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Special events for a special match: Bayer 04 are offering fans a varied programme of events at tonight’s home game in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga against German champions Bayern Munich (kick-off: 18:00 CEST). Alongside a number of interactive activities, events to mark the DFB Sustainability matchday are also planned around the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Read on in the matchday news ahead of the clash with FC Bayern.
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Once again, two Fritz Walter Gold Medals are heading to Leverkusen: Bayer 04 new signing Kennet Eichhorn and Francis Onyeka, a product of the Werkself youth set-up, currently on loan at SV Elversberg, were honoured for their performances during the 2025/26 season. The DFB announced the awards on Monday, 14 September. The Fritz Walter Medal is the most prestigious individual award in German youth football.
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Following two close encounters against VfL Wolfsburg and away to TSG Hoffenheim, the Bayer 04 Women face another top side on Monday night. The Werkself host German double winners Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 18:00 CEST to round off matchday 4 in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is counting on another spirited performance from his team.
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