1. FC Kaiserslautern is preparing for the 2025/26 second division season. ()
The Red Devils are back on the pitch as they prepare for the 2025/26 second division season.
Following medical checks on Sunday, coach Torsten Lieberknecht gathered his team for two practice sessions on Wednesday, with some old faces gone and fresh faces on board.
Gone are Ragnar Ache, who transferred to Bundesliga side 1. FC Cologne and Filip Kaloc who moved to Bulgarian champion Ludogorez Rasgard.
Still with FCK but joining the Under 21 team this season are longtime stalwarts Jean Zimmer and Hendrik Zuck.
New to the team so far are Ivan Prtajin, coming from first division Union Berlin and Mahir Emreli from league rival 1. FC Nuremberg. He will try to fill Ache’s large boots.
Before the new season gets underway on the first weekend of August — time, date and opponent has not been set yet — FCK play a bevy of test games.
First up, it will play a fan team on Saturday in Luxembourg, before playing at SV Hermersberg on Sunday.
The Red Devils will play a mini tournament in Reutlingen on July 5, against SSV Reutlingen and Switzerland’s FC St. Gallen.
At 3:30 p.m. on July 12, FCK will take on Notts County FC at Fritz Walter Stadiums field # 4. The English fourth division team is the oldest professional soccer club in the world.
From July 13 to 20, the team travels to Italy for its summer training camp, where it will play a test match against CFC Genua of the Italian Seria-A.
Back in Kaiserslautern, the Red Devils will have their final match before the season opener against another top-tier Italian team, AS Rome. There are still some tickets available on the team’s website.
For the first round of the German cup competition, Kaiserslautern will travel to Potsdam to face fourth-tier RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 17.
June 25, 2025 15:39
