Major upset or rout? Prediction for Wehen Wiesbaden vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Wehen Wiesbaden
In the 1/32 finals of the German Cup, Wehen will take on Bayer Leverkusen. The match is set for Saturday, August 22, in Wiesbaden, with kickoff at 13:00 Central European Time. Here’s my pick for the winner of this clash.
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H2H and statistical facts
- Wehen have lost both of their games this new season.
- Bayer have conceded in six consecutive official matches.
- These teams have never faced each other in official competition before.
Last season, Wehen finished eighth in the 3. Liga. The team had a fairly stable campaign, but couldn’t get close to the promotion race.
Before the new season, manager Daniel Scherning chose not to set a concrete goal of promotion to the 2. Bundesliga. Instead, he emphasized an intense, bold, and emotional style of football. Over the summer, Wehen’s squad didn’t change much in numbers, but they did lose several key players.
Their preseason preparations included a high-profile friendly. On July 25, Wehen hosted Bayern Munich to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary and pulled off a shock 2-1 win. Granted, Bayern were missing many World Cup participants and fielded plenty of youngsters. Still, for Wehen, it was a massive emotional boost ahead of the new campaign.
But the start of the new season has been rough. In the 3. Liga opener, Wehen lost 1-3 at home to Preußen Münster, then suffered an even heavier 0-4 defeat away at Würzburger Kickers. So, they come into the Bayer clash on the back of two straight defeats, making the task of holding off one of Germany’s top clubs even more daunting.
Bayer, by contrast, had a season well below their own expectations. After clinching the title in 2023/24 and finishing second in the Bundesliga in 2024/25, they slumped to sixth place in the 2025/26 Bundesliga. That meant missing out on the Champions League, so the new season’s objective is clear: get back among the elite.
This summer, Bayer changed head coach. After Kasper Hjulmand’s departure, Spaniard Carles Martínez Novell—formerly of Toulouse—took the reins. For the 42-year-old, it’s a major new challenge, and the German Cup will be his first official match in charge of Leverkusen.
Bayer’s preseason has been largely positive. Before their final friendlies, the team rattled off five wins in a row, scoring 17 goals. Then came a 1-2 loss to Nottingham Forest, but they bounced back to beat Newcastle away 2-1—Victor Boniface scoring the winner in the 82nd minute on his return from injury.
Bayer’s transfer window is one of the hottest topics around the club. Leverkusen are still reshaping their squad, with several players’ futures up in the air. Ernest Poku, Exequiel Palacios, Martin Terrier, and Malik Tillman could all be on the move. At the same time, the club is working to strengthen its attack and is reportedly negotiating the return of Moussa Diaby from Al-Ittihad. Meanwhile, captain Robert Andrich has publicly stated he has no intention of leaving Bayer.
What’s the bet?
Despite Wehen’s home advantage and the fact they already have competitive matches under their belt, the gulf in class between these sides is enormous. The hosts have shown they can surprise bigger names, but two defeats to start the 3. Liga campaign point to real problems. Bayer come into the official season opener off the back of a strong preseason, have a much deeper squad, and should be in control from the first whistle. I’m backing the visitors to win with a -2 goal handicap.
