Bayer Leverkusen are out to begin the Erik ten Hag era with a win as they take on fourth-division side Sonnenhof Großaspach in the DFB Cup first round on Friday (kick-off: 6pm CEST).
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It's been a busy summer for Ten Hag as he prepares for a first season of Bundesliga football, with Leverkusen not only making up for the loss of Xabi Alonso but also the likes of Jonathan Tah, Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka.
They have recruited heavily themselves, though, bringing 12 players to the club and with a major focus on youth. Patrik Schick also signed a new deal and will continue to fight Victor Boniface for a place at the pointy end of the Werkself attack.
As a result, a host of new faces are in line for a debut, including new goalkeeper Mark Flekken and defensive recruit Jarell Quansah. It's yet to be seen who replaces Wirtz further forward, while Robert Andrich looks set to take over the captain's armband following Lukáš Hrádecký's departure.
Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Pisa - highlights
While Leverkusen spent time in Brazil before rounding out their pre-season friendlies last weekend, Aspach have been back in competitive action for some time already.
After their promotion from the fifth tier last season, they have already notched up an 8-0 State Cup win, followed by 6-1 and 4-1 victories in their first two Regionalliga games.
Their 31-year-old striker Fabian Eisele, once on the books of VfB Stuttgart, has hit the ground running and scored five times in those three fixtures so far.
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After going out in the first round in 2023, Leverkusen went on a 10-game winning run in the DFB Cup. That included lifting the trophy in 2024 before eventually losing to Arminia Bielefeld in last season's semi-finals.
The 2024 success was the second time Leverkusen have won the DFB Cup. They won it for the first time by beating Hertha Belin II in the 1992/93 final.
Only VfB Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade (five) scored more goals than Schick (four) in last season's competition. Schick now has a total of seven goals in 14 DFB Cup games.
These two teams have never met in a competitive fixture, but did face off in a 2015 friendly, which Aspach won 1-0.
Aspach were in the third division back then. It is the highest on the German football pyramid they have played.
This is just Aspach's third time playing in the DFB Cup first round, having previously lost 4-1 to Stuttgart (2009/10) and 2-1 to FSV Frankfurt (2012/13) at this stage.
Probable teams
Aspach: Reule - Landwehr, Aidonis, Nuraj, Mohr - Mistl, Celiktas (c), Loris Maier, Tasdelen - Kleinschrodt, Eisele
Out: Rahn (broken arm)Doubtful: -
Coach: Pascal Reinhardt
Leverkusen: Flekken - Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié - Tella, Andrich (c), García, Grimaldo - Maza, Adli - Schick**Out:**Jeanuël Belocian (cruciate ligament), Hofmann (hamstring), Palacios (hamstring), Martin Terrier (Achilles)**Doubtful:**Arthur (knee), Tillman (calf)Coach: Erik ten Hag
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#### Dutch ace arrivesA 12th summer signing has been confirmed at Leverkusen, with the addition of 21-year-old Dutch youth international Ernest Poku from AZ Alkmaar. A club debut could immediately follow if he's given minutes on Friday debut.
© IMAGO/Ed van de Pol
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#### Watch: Leverkusen 3-0 Pisa - highlightsAll the goals from that recent B04 friendly win over Pisa.
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#### On the riseAs for Aspach, they were promoted from the fifth-tier last season after losing just once in the league all season and they've since carried that momentum into the new campaign. An 8-0 State Cup victory has been followed up by 6-1 and 4-1 wins in the league, with striker Fabian Eisele (pictured r., and once on the books of VfB Stuttgart) already scoring five times in all competitions.
© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Philip Ziegler#### Pre-season so far
Leverkusen kicked-off their preparations with an historic spell in Brazil earlier this summer, while they've collected three wins and two losses in their five friendlies going into the new season. Their most recent outings saw a convincing 3-0 win over Italian side Pisa before a 2-0 loss at the hands of FIFA Club World Cup winners Chelsea at the weekend.
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#### New era at LeverkusenThis game marks Leverkusen's first competitive outing under new head coach Erik ten Hag, who arrived at the club this summer following the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. Alonso has left big shoes to fill after leading Leverkusen to the league and cup double in 2023/24 and ten Hag will hope his side can immediately find their feet against Sonnenhof.
© Bayer 04 Leverkusen#### Welcome!
The road to Berlin 2026 starts here with the first of our 2025/26 DFB Cup first round ties getting underway on Friday night. Among them is our headline fixture between Sonnenhof Großaspach and Bayer Leverkusen, with the fourth-tier hosts from the Regionalliga Südwest taking on the 2023/24 cup winners from the top-flight (kick-off: 6pm CEST).