Following its first loss of the 2026-27 season, 1. FC Kaiserslautern will try to return to its winning ways against Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday afternoon.

The contest at Fritz Walter Stadium comes against a team the Red Devils and their manager, Torsten Lieberknecht, know very well.

Lieberknecht ended his playing career in Braunschweig in 2007 and went straight into coaching in the Lions’ academy. Less than a year later, he took over the first team, a position he stayed in for 10 years before being fired at the end of the 2017-18 season.

The Bad Dürkheim native oversaw one of the most successful periods in Braunschweig’s history guiding the club from Germany’s third tier to the Bundesliga for the 2013-2014 season. The Lions were sent back down to the 2. Bundesliga. They finished in a relegation spot to the 3. Liga in Lieberknecht’s final season in charge.

The Red Devils and Lions have met 70 times across all competitions. FCK holds a 27-25-18 advantage over Braunschweig, although Saturday’s visitors have won the past three meetings dating back to Matchday 30 of the 2024-2025 2. Bundesliga season.

Kaiserslautern will be without the longtime injured Ivan Prtajin and Naatan Skyttä as they continue to recover from an Achilles tendon tear and a knee injury, respectively. However, both attacking players are nearing a return and could see some action in an Oct. 2 exhibition match during the international break.

Also out for the Red Devils is Owen Gibs with a pelvic injury.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CET. Tickets are still available.