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.
Since 2023, Bayer 04 has been organising regular free goalkeeping coach training sessions at the BayArena. As in previous years, the event attracted enormous interest in mid-October 2026. Around 140 participants – mostly goalkeeping coaches from the region, but also team and academy coaches as well as association staff – came to the Werkself stadium to gain expert knowledge on the subject of zonal marking. Through a theoretical keynote presentation and a practical session on the pitch, the participants gained insights into goalkeeping and goalkeeper training at Bayer 04.
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A first for the Werkself: Today, Thursday 15 October (kick-off: 18:45 CEST), Bayer 04 face Lech Poznan for the first time on matchday 2 in the UEFA Europa League group. Although the Black and Reds have a flawless record against the only Polish opposition faced before, they must not underestimate the attacking ability and goal-scoring threat of the reigning champions from Poznan. Lech’s squad also includes two former Bundesliga players. Today's matchday news.
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Some 30 years on since their last European fixture in Poland, Bayer 04 cross the border for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash against Lech Poznan on Matchday 2 of the league phase on Thursday (kick-off: 18:45 CEST). Ahead of a first-ever meeting with Lech, head coach Carles Martínez and winger Nathan Tella spoke in Poznan about special memories and objectives.
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The NB Vintage Collection is here and available now! Members enjoy an exclusive priority purchase period (online shop only). Non-members will then be able to purchase items from Saturday 17 October (10:00 CEST). Sales will also begin at the same time at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt.
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