Our next opponents: Turn the ultimate challenge into an opportunity

Position

SV Wehen Wiesbaden have started the new Liga 3 season with two defeats. Their 3-1 defeat at home to SC Preußen Münster, who were relegated from Bundesliga 2, was followed last weekend by a heavy 4-0 loss to newly promoted Würzburger Kickers. Wiesbaden coach Daniel Scherning expressed his disappointment after the match: “A thoroughly deserved victory,” conceded the 42-year-old. “We did exactly what you mustn’t do here: we were far too careless. We gave the ball away far too easily. Then you end up facing counter-attacks.” SVWW had several good chances to take the lead themselves in the first ten minutes. However, after the opening goal from a free-kick was scored by former Wiesbaden player Franjic, the visitors let the game slip from their grasp, were even run ragged, and now sit bottom of the table after two games.

In their opening match against Münster, the Wiesbaden side put in a decent performance for long stretches of the game. “If we disregard the unfortunate goals we conceded, we played well,” said Scherning, referring to the goals that at 0–1 and 1–2. First, goalkeeper Florian Stritzel made a costly mistake following a back pass. After centre-forward Moritz Flotho levelled the scores from the penalty spot, Preußen regained the lead through a controversial penalty of their own. Wiesbaden conceded a third goal in stoppage time.

The Hessen team, who still top the all-time Liga 3 table, had set their sights high for the current season following an eighth-place finish last season. The club celebrates their 100th anniversary this year. Whilst nobody at SVWW was talking about promotion to Bundesliga 2 – which they last achieved in 2023 – coach Scherning promised that fans could “look forward to an exciting team”, adding: “We want to play football with courage, intensity and passion.”

The Wiesbaden side impressively demonstrated their potential last year in the first round of the DFB Pokal against Bayern Munich. Against the eventual DFB Pokal winners, the Hessen team came back from 2-0 down at their home ground, the BRITA Arena, and only lost 3-2 in stoppage time thanks to a goal from Harry Kane. This year, the Wiesbaden side qualified for the DFB Pokal with a 2–1 victory over SG Barockstadt Fulda-Lehnerz in the regional cup final and once again face a Bundesliga side, Bayer 04, in the first round. “From a sporting perspective, this is as challenging a draw as you can get,” said Scherning in response to the draw, striking a defiant tone: “We get to take on one of Germany’s best teams at our own stadium. We’re looking forward to it. Especially this early in the season, we see the match as an opportunity. Perhaps this will be the very day we manage to progress against a top-flight side.”

Personnel

The Wehen Wiesbaden record appearance-maker retired from professional football this summer after a total of nine years with the Hessen club: Sascha Mockenhaupt made 355 appearances for Wiesbaden. The 34-year-old right-back also played alongside Bayer 04 player Robert Andrich for SVWW in 2018. This season, Mockenhaupt is playing for Verbandsliga side SG Hüffelsheim.

Two other key players also left the club: centre-forward Fatih Kaya, who scored 37 goals for Wiesbaden over the past two years, moved on to Samsunspor in Turkey. Right-winger Ryan Johansson joined league rivals Preußen Münster. In total, SVWW saw eleven players leave. The reduction in squad size was, of course, a deliberate move.

The only new additions to the Wiesbaden squad this summer are midfielder Max Brandt (SSV Ulm 1846), right-back Philipp Hercher (FC Magdeburg) and forward Sinan Karweina (FC Luzern). SVWW have also signed 20-year-old prospect Ayoub Chaikhoun on loan from Bundesliga 2 side FC Nürnberg. “A very exciting and promising midfielder who combines dynamism, footballing intelligence and technical ability well,” said Uwe Stöver. Incidentally, the sporting director at SV Wehen Wiesbaden has a history with Leverkusen. Between 1989 and 1993, Stöver wore the Werkself jersey as a midfielder and he won the DFB Pokal with Bayer 04 in 1993.

SVWW will be without one of their key players for Saturday’s match against Werkself due to injury: captain and centre-back Florian Hübner (35) sustained a ligament injury to his foot during a pre-season friendly. The former Bundesliga player, who played for Union Berlin, will be sidelined for several weeks. Coach Scherning, who has been at the helm in Wiesbaden since November 2025 and previously spent many years as head coach of Eintracht Braunschweig, Arminia Bielefeld and VfL Osnabrück in Bundesliga 2, has relied on Jakob Lewald, Justin Janitzek and Jordy Gillekens as the back three for the first two league matches. The latter two were already regulars last season. Moritz Flotho is the most dangerous attacking threat for the Hessian side. The 24-year-old joined Wiesbaden from SC Paderborn II in 2024. He has netted 25 goals for SVWW in 85 competitive matches to date. Last season, the Kassel-born player was his team’s top scorer and provider with a combined total 20 goals and assists.

Problems

Many questions remain unanswered at SV Wehen Wiesbaden: How will the team cope with the departure of a number of key players? Four players have left the six-member squad committee from last season. How quickly will a new pecking order emerge? In which positions might reinforcements be brought in? There still appear to be coordination issues between the different parts of the team. A lack of defensive stability went hand in hand with a lack of efficiency in attack. Wiesbaden’s vulnerability to counter-attacks was one reason for their clear 4-0 defeat against Würzburg. “Overall, we were far too lacking in terms of tackling, physicality and assertiveness,” Scherning lamented after the match, whilst not ruling out further signings. “Now we need to draw the right conclusions for this week’s training sessions, but also for the next two weeks, while the transfer window is still open.”

Performers

SV Wehen Wiesbaden boasted the sixth-best defence in Liga 3 last term. The team conceded 52 goals in 38 matches. Compact defending, robust tackling, high intensity and resilience – these are the qualities that manager Scherning values most highly. So far this season, the team has only managed to put some of these into practice in their opening match against Preußen Münster. For the DFB Pokal tie against Werkself, SVWW are looking to bring all these qualities to bear once again in front of a full house at the BRITA Arena. Many of the players from the squad that had FC Bayern on the brink of extra time in the first round just under a year ago will be back in action against Bayer 04.