Our next opponents: SC Hauenstein in the DFB Cup
The start of the new season awaits. The Sportpark Husterhöhe in Pirmasens provides the stage for Sunday’s first competitive game of the new campaign for the Werkself away to SC Hauenstein.
The small club from the Palatinate is am unknown factor for many people but last season they were coached by no-one less than World Cup winner Jürgen Kohler. However, Kohler will not be on the bench at the weekend for the DFB Cup tie as he has left the club. His successor, the aims of the club and how the team approaches the “game of their lives” are revealed in our assessment of our next opponents.
Position
It could have been the perfect season for SCH. After a second runners-up spot in the Oberliga in succession the play-offs offered a great chance to secure promotion to the fourth-tier Regional League. A last-minute goal saw FC Nöttingen celebrate. It remains to be seen whether it’s third time lucky this term. As compensation, Hauenstein won the state cup competition to qualify for the DFB Cup. At the same time it was a successful night for the coach Jürgen Kohler.
Personnel
The change of coaching staff was the most important move. Kohler, World Cup winner, Champions League winner and later on sporting director at Bayer 04 moved on to Middle Rhine League club VfL Alfter with Thomas Fichtner taking over as coach. Otherwise, the strength of the team remains the lot of the Cup-winning group. Lucas Oppermann, who helped Worms cause a cup upset in 2012 in the 2-1 first round win against Hertha BSC (2:1), and fist team keeper Sebastian Grub are key players who have moved on. Grub’s designated successor Mario Miltner surprisingly left the club recently.
Problems
Can there be any for a lower league club ahead of a DFB Cup tie? Perhaps the fact SCH go into the game as underdogs. Hauenstein have lost their first two games of the season and are not at their home ground in Neding but a good 20 kilometres further on at the Sportpark Husterhöhe in Pirmasens but there is still great excitement at SCH.
Potential
There are no doubts at the club: “This game is the biggest in the club’s history.” There has been a year’s work in Hauenstein and the motivation is there for the first round match. And who knows: There have been one or two cup upsets in the past. The Werkself will have something to say about that.
Prediction
Everything in Hauenstein is focussed on this game. The club have even produced a special cup kit. All should be in place for when the Werkself come to Pirmasens. The match will show what’s possible on the pitch. It will definitely be a great experience for everybody involved.
Related News
Bayer 04 - 14.11.2026
Burkina Faso tips, role models and African legends: 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba | Werkself Magazine #56
Whether it's sport or his private live: Captain Edmond Tapsoba tells us his top three personal favourites in twelve categories in edition #56 of the Werkself Magazine. The defender had to answer as quickly as he reacts on the pitch. 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba!
Show more
Bayer 04 - 12.11.2026
Goalkeeping coaches’ meeting at the BayArena: Focus on fitness training
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
Show more
Women - 11.11.2026
Women: Matchdays 12 to 15 scheduled with Monday night derby, end-of-year fixture on a Sunday
A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
Show more
eSports - 11.11.2026
#B04eSports: In-person round missed again
It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
Show more
