Karlsruher SC 2026/27 season preview: Transfers, pre-season, predicted lineup and expectations | OneFootball

Karlsruher SC start the 2026/27 season facing a fresh chapter.

Christian Eichner’s exit closed the book on one of German football’s longest managerial tenures. 

Now, with sweeping changes to both staff and squad, Maximilian Senft inherits a team in need of rebuilding.

A wave of departures and a younger core arriving at Wildparkstadion means this season is set to be one of transition for Die Blau-Weißen.

Looking back at 2025/26

Karlsruhe ended last season 10th, with 44 points from 34 games - only five teams scored more, and their 54 goals even outpaced champions Schalke.

Defensively, though, only Greuther Fürth conceded more than Karlsruhe’s 64 goals.

Eichner’s six-and-a-half years in charge ended with a 2-1 home loss to Bochum, but that result did little to overshadow the stability he brought since February 2020.

The new era

Having arrived from Austrian side SV Ried, Maximilian Senft takes charge of KSC ahead of the coming term. 

The 37-year-old initially joined Ried's reserve team in 2022 before taking control of the first team in March 2023. 

He subsequently led the club to promotion in 2024/25, before avoiding relegation last term.

During pre-season, Senft tried out different systems. KSC played a 4-2-3-1 against Inter, then switched to a 4-4-2 diamond for the final friendly against Hoffenheim.

Whatever the formation, one thing remains unchanged, with local favourite Marvin Wanitzek still central to KSC’s plans. 

At 33, the Bruchsal-born attacker looks set for another key role, regardless of his age.

Summer transfers

Over the summer, several experienced players have departed, including Fabian Schleusener, Dzenis Burnic, Philipp Förster, Nicolai Rapp and David Herold. 

Schleusener, Burnic and Förster all left following the end of their deals, while Rapp has joined fellow 2. Bundesliga side Dynamo Dresden, and Herold has completed a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Stephan Ambrosius, Roko Simic and Leon Opitz have also all returned to their respective parent clubs. 

In response to the departures, sporting director Mario Eggimann has moved quickly to bring in a younger core.

Kevin Wiethaup joins from VfL Osnabrück, Tim Civeja from Saarbrücken, and Noel Eichinger from Jahn Regensburg. 

All three arrive with 3. Liga experience and are expected to compete for places immediately.

Moritz Broschinski arrives on loan from Basel, with an option to make the move permanent.

The former Bochum forward brings Bundesliga experience, but his scoring record leaves questions unanswered.

Broschinski managed five goals and seven assists in 70 Bundesliga appearances for Bochum. Replacing Schleusener’s output, then, is far from a given.

At left-back, Karlsruhe have moved to cover Herold’s exit by bringing in both Deniz Ofli and Viktor Bergh. Ofli joins on loan from Bayern Munich with a purchase option, while Bergh arrives on a permanent deal from Djurgården.

Midfield options have been bolstered by Finnish international Santeri Väänänen, signed from Rosenborg. Jason Ponente Ramirez and goalkeeper Ferdinand Gebert are among several other new faces in a squad that looks markedly different from last season’s group.

Pre-season recap

Karlsruhe’s pre-season began with two emphatic wins over regional opposition: a 27-0 rout of FC Germania Untergrombach and a 13-0 victory against VfB Gaggenau.

A sterner test followed against Regionalliga side SGV Freiburg, with KSC held to a 4-4 draw.

At the end of their Austrian training camp, Senft’s side faced Japanese top-flight club Shimizu S-Pulse twice in one day. 

Karlsruhe lost the first match 3-1 and drew the second 1-1, though the latter was abandoned after 65 minutes due to severe weather.

The most encouraging performance of the summer came against Italian champions Inter, on the same day as a 3-2 defeat to VfR Mannheim. 

KSC impressed, creating several first-half chances and taking the lead just after the break. 

New signings Broschinski and Civeja combined, with Civeja finishing into the bottom corner.

They held the lead until stoppage time, only to concede twice late on and fall to a 2-1 defeat.

The final friendly was less convincing, as fellow Badeners Hoffenheim ran out 3-0 winners.

Predicted starting XI

Senft opted for a 4-4-2 diamond in the final pre-season fixture against Hoffenheim, offering the clearest hint yet at how KSC might line up to start the new campaign.

Hans Christian Bernat is expected to start in goal, with Rafael Pinto Pedrosa, Marcel Franke, Christoph Kobald and Ofli forming the back four.

Danyal Zor currently looks to have the edge over new signing Väänänen at the base of midfield, though the Finland international is expected to push hard for the spot once he settles into Senft’s system.

Civeja and Wiethaup are likely to operate on either side of the diamond, with captain Wanitzek supporting Broschinski and Eichinger up front.

Eichinger, who scored 10 goals and provided seven assists for Jahn Regensburg in the 3. Liga last season, has operated as a mobile forward alongside Broschinski in pre-season.

He could well start there again as KSC kick off their campaign at home to Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.

Predicted XI for opening day: Bernat; Pinto Pedrosa, Franke, Kobald, Ofli; Zor; Civeja, Wiethaup; Wanitzek; Broschinski, Eichinger 

Opening fixtures

After the opening weekend meeting with Bielefeld, Senft will get his first taste of the Südwestderby as KSC travel to the Betzenberg to face Kaiserslautern a week later.

A home clash with relegated Bundesliga side Wolfsburg follows, before Karlsruhe round out their opening four fixtures away to Hannover 96.

Expectations for 2026/27

Expectations in Karlsruhe should be tempered by the sheer scale of the summer overhaul.

There remains an experienced spine in Bernat, Franke, Kobald and Wanitzek, while several new arrivals have the potential to grow into strong second-tier players.

But KSC have lost a significant amount of 2. Bundesliga experience and are adapting to a demanding new style under a head coach working in Germany for the first time.

President Holger Siegmund-Schultze has spoken optimistically about this new era eventually leading Die Blau-Weißen back to the Bundesliga, but an immediate promotion would be a surprisingly quick payoff for the club’s summer rebuild.

Another mid-table finish looks the most realistic outcome for now. 

But a season spent establishing Senft’s identity and bedding in the younger arrivals would represent a solid first campaign under the Austrian.