Robert Hartmann from Wangen is the referee. Read on for pre-match facts and stats.
Bayer 04 headed off to Baden on Thursday to set up base in Ettlingen. Head coach Heiko Herrlich held a training session on a nearby sports ground at eleven in the morning. After lunch and an afternoon rest, the squad will set off for the Wildpark Stadium at 18.40 CET. KSC will play in all blue and the Werkself will play in their red away kit.
Bayer 04 and KSC meet for the first time in the DFB Cup. There have been 36 previous encounters in the Bundesliga. The Werkself have won 16 and Karlsruher SC five. Bayer 04 also have a good record at the Wildpark Stadium: There have been four wins and three defeats with the other matches ending all square. The last meeting was in November 2008 when Leverkusen gave away a 3-0 lead to draw the match 3-3.
Karlsruher SC are counting on the support of their fans and are expecting a good attendance at the Wildpark tonight. 14,000 tickets were sold by the middle of the week including 1,000 for Bayer 04 supporters. "There is huge excitement," said KSC head coach Marc-Patrick Meister, "we want to be a tough opponent and stay in the game for as long as we can. If we get the chance to strike then we'll take it. For example at set pieces." The hosts are missing Matthias Bader, Dominik Stroh-Engel and the suspended central defender Daniel Gordon.
Both teams want to improve on their performances in last season's DFB Cup competition. Bayer 04 went out in the second round against Sportfreunde Lotte on penalties. KSC were knocked out in the previous round in a 2-1 defeat away to 1860 Munich. The draw for the second round proper will be held on 20 August on the ARD Sportschau TV programme from 18.00 CET with the names drawn out by comedian Carolin Kebekus and DFB U21 coach Stefan Kuntz.
Heiko Herrlich makes his competitive debut as Bayer 04 coach at the Wildpark Stadium – the very place where he started his career as a Bundesliga player for Leverkusen. In August 1989, the central striker, at the tender age of 17, came on for Marek Lesniak with ten minutes to play. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Heiko Herrlich demands full concentration from his team tonight – also due to the fact he is well aware of the strength of the opposition. In spite of the massive change of personnel, KSC are for him "a team likely to go up with some very good individual players." The Werkself coach gives the examples of defender David Pisot, who was signed from Würzburger Kickers, plus striker Anton Fink from Chemnitzer FC. The Bayer 04 defence will have to keep an eye on him: Fink has scored three goals for KSC in the first four league matches and is the record goalscorer in the third division with 116 goals in 254 games.
The time of the season is always Schwadbud time: The fan pub in the East Stand at the BayArena welcomes visitors to watch away games on the big screen and gives fans the opportunity to show their support. The doors open at 19.45 CET, that is one hour before kick-off: Call in and cross your fingers for the Werkself for the first competitive match of the season in Karlsruhe in the company of fellow Bayer 04 fans.
The final whistle of the current 2025/26 season marks the end of a unique partnership for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. After more than three decades of collaboration and highly eventful times, the Bundesliga football club and the private brewery Bitburger are going their separate ways.
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A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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