SV Sandhausen and Bayer 04 meet in a competitive match for the first time. Sandhausen are the 91st opponent for the Werkself in the DFB Pokal, and Bayer 04 are opponent number 38 for SVS. Sandhausen have lost all of their last five cup ties against Bundesliga teams and only come out on top in three out of 17 cup ties against top-flight sides – on penalties each time.
SV Sandhausen are organising mug donations for the cup tie – including in the away section – for two-and-a-half-year- old Liem who is suffering from leukaemia. To increase Liem’s chances of being healthy again, he needs a stem cell donation. All money raised from the mug donations will go to the German Bone Marrow Donor Register (DKMS). Anybody wishing to make an additional donation can do so directly to the DKMS donation account using the following details:
IBAN: DE32 7004 0060 8987 0005 79
Reference: LYB001, Liem
The Werkself can once again look forward to great support on the road. Given the demand for tickets, Bayer 04 endeavoured to obtain a bigger allocation ahead of the cup tie. 3,000 Bayer 04 fans are set to travel to Sandhausen tomorrow. Standing tickets are still available with the ticket office at the ground opening at 16.30 CET. According to SV Sandhausen, 9,000 to 10,000 of their own fans are expected to attend the match.
SV Sandhausen recently put Jens Keller in charge of the team. The 52-year-old coach, who took Schalke 04 to the Round of 16 in the Champions League in 2013/14, is tasked with winning promotion. Keller's first outing as head coach at SVS was successful with a 2-1 away win Sandhausen against Borussia Dortmund II.
The possibility of going back up is on. The third division team are currently seventh in the table with 19 points from 13 games with only four points separating them from a play-off spot. Further information on today's opposition can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Richard Hempel to referee the cup tie. This will be the first game involving the Werkself for the 25-year-old match official. He will be assisted by Tobias Schultens and Eric-Dominic Weisbach on the touchlines and the fourth official is Lars Ebert. VAR is not used in the second round of the DFB Pokal.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 put in a brilliant performance to beat RB Leipzig 4-1 on Bundesliga matchday 32 and are now fourth in a Champions League spot. The Black and Reds took control of the game right from the start and, with 75 per cent possession at one stage, took a 2-0 lead into the break through Patrik Schick (25’) and Nathan Tella (45+1’). The visitors initially tried to do more after the break, but the Werkself remained determined and Schick scored his second goal to increase the lead to 3-0 (76'). The Red Bulls pulled a goal back through Christoph Baumgartner (80'), but the disciplined Leverkusen side were not rattled - and certainly not Schick: The Czechia international crowned a brilliant display with his third goal shortly before the final whistle to make the final score 4-1.
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In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.
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Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
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