# 2021–22 Karlsruher SC season

The 2021–22 season was Karlsruher SC's 70th season in existence and the club's third consecutive season in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. The club also participated in the DFB-Pokal.

## Background and pre-season

Karlsruher SC finished the 2020–21 season in 6th place, 10 points below the automatic promotion places and 12 points below the promotion play-off place.

## Friendly matches

Pre-season match details :
| Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 26 June 2021 | 14:00 | SGV Freiberg | Home | 2–0 | Choi 81' o.g., Hofmann 85' | 500 |
| 30 June 2021 | 18:30 | Bahlinger SC | Away | 0–0 | — | 500 |
| 3 July 2021 | 14:00 | Viktoria Köln | Neutral | 5–1 | Wanitzek 56' pen., 72', 77', Kother 60', Hofmann 74' | |
| 7 July 2021 | 18:30 | FC Kufstein | Neutral | 4–0 | Kobald 11', Schleusener 19', Batmaz 65', Cueto 70' | 200 |
| 11 July 2021 | 13:00 | Türkgücü München | Neutral | 0–0 | — | 0 |
| 11 July 2021 | 16:30 | Zenit St. Petersburg | Neutral | 1–3 | Gondorf 52' pen. | 300 |
| 17 July 2021 | 14:00 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | Home | 1–0 | Hofmann 62' | 350 |
| 4 August 2021 | 15:30 | TSG Hoffenheim | Away | 0–5 | — | |
| 2 September 2021 | 13:00 | Mainz 05 | Away | 0–0 | — | 500 |
* ↑ Match played in Bad Wörishofen, Germany
* ↑ Match played at Smaragd-Arena in Bramberg am Wildkogel, Austria
* ↑ Match played in St. Ulrich am Pillersee
* ↑ Match played in St. Johann in Tirol
* ↑ Match played at Akademie-Arena, Kunstrasen

## Competitions
### 2. Bundesliga
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 10 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 45 | 42 | +3 | 44 |
| 11 | Hannover 96 | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 35 | 49 | −14 | 42 |
| 12 | Karlsruher SC | 34 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 54 | 55 | −1 | 41 |
| 13 | Hansa Rostock | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 41 | 52 | −11 | 41 |
| 14 | SV Sandhausen | 34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 41 |

#### Matches

2. Bundesliga match details :
| Match | Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
| 1 | 24 July 2021 | 13:30 | Hansa Rostock | Away | 3–1 | Kobald 42', Hofmann 44', Jung 79' | 14,500 | 3rd |
| 2 | 30 July 2021 | 18:30 | Darmstadt 98 | Home | 3–0 | Hofmann 9', 79', Choi 76' | 9,750 | 1st |
| 3 | 14 August 2021 | 13:30 | SV Sandhausen | Away | 0–0 | — | 4,908 | 2nd |
| 4 | 21 August 2021 | 13:30 | Werder Bremen | Home | 0–0 | — | 10,000 | 4th |
| 5 | 27 August 2021 | 18:30 | 1. FC Nürnberg | Away | 1–2 | Batmaz 82' | 13,120 | 6th |
| 6 | 11 September 2021 | 13:30 | Holstein Kiel | Home | 2–2 | Choi 39', Hofmann 88' | 10,000 | 8th |
| 7 | 17 September 2021 | 18:30 | Schalke 04 | Away | 2–1 | Choi 1', Wanikzek 88' | 24,000 | 5th |
| 8 | 25 September 2021 | 13:30 | FC St. Pauli | Home | 1–3 | Schleusener 79' | 12,500 | 9th |
| 9 | 2 October 2021 | 13:30 | Jahn Regensburg | Away | 2–2 | Wanikzek 14', Thiede 51' | 8,790 | 10th |
| 10 | 16 October 2021 | 13:30 | Erzgebirge Aue | Home | 2–1 | Schleusener 46', Hofmann 67' | 12,000 | 7th |
| 11 | 23 October 2021 | 13:30 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | Away | 1–3 | Wanitzek 22' | 22,458 | |
| 12 | 31 October 2021 | 13:30 | SC Paderborn | Home | 2–4 | Schleusener 68', Hofmann 70' | 14,039 | |
| 13 | 6 November 2021 | 20:30 | Hamburger SV | Home | 1–1 | Hofmann 18' | 20,000 | |
| 14 | 21 November 2021 | 13:30 | Ingolstadt 04 | Away | 1–1 | Kother 42' | 4,348 | 10th |
| 15 | 27 November 2021 | 13:30 | Hannover 96 | Home | 4–0 | Choi 17', Gordon 27', Wanitzek 29', Hofmann 83' | 10,000 | |
| 16 | 5 December 2021 | 13:30 | Dynamo Dresden | Away | 1–3 | Schleusener 52' | 0 | |
| 17 | 12 December 2021 | 13:30 | 1. FC Heidenheim | Home | 3–2 | Batmaz 8', 39', Wanitzek 56' pen. | 750 | |
| 18 | 19 December 2021 | 13:30 | Hansa Rostock | Home | 2–2 | Gordon 13', Hofmann 26' | 750 | |
| 19 | 15 January 2022 | 20:30 | Darmstadt 98 | Away | 2–2 | Gjasula 22' o.g., Schleusener 71' | 250 | |
| 21 | 5 February 2022 | 13:30 | Werder Bremen | Away | 1–2 | Hofmann 59' | 10,000 | |
| 20 | 8 February 2022 | 18:30 | SV Sandhausen | Home | 0–2 | | 6,532 | |
| 22 | 12 February 2022 | 13:30 | 1. FC Nürnberg | Home | 4–1 | Hofmann 39', 59', Goller 55', Wanitzek 90' pen. | 9,265 | |
| 23 | 19 February 2022 | 13:30 | Holstein Kiel | Away | 2–0 | O'Shaughnessy 16', Schleusener 67' | 7,953 | |
| 24 | 26 February 2022 | 13:30 | Schalke 04 | Home | 1–1 | Choi 34' | 15,000 | |
| 25 | 5 March 2022 | 13:30 | FC St. Pauli | Away | 1–3 | Hofmann 66' | 22,158 | |
| 26 | 13 March 2022 | 13:30 | Jahn Regensburg | Home | 1–1 | Hofmann 70' | 13,258 | |
| 27 | 18 March 2022 | 18:30 | Erzgebirge Aue | Away | 3–0 | Hofmann 54', Wanitzek 67', Lorenz 85' | 6,619 | |
| 28 | 3 April 2022 | 13:30 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | Home | 2–2 | Wanitzek 65' pen., Hofmann 83' | 17,907 | |
| 29 | 10 April 2022 | 13:30 | SC Paderborn | Away | 2–2 | Wanitzek 36', Hofmann 69' | 9,652 | |
| 30 | 16 April 2022 | 20:30 | Hamburger SV | Away | 0–3 | | 24,892 | 10th |
| 31 | 22 April 2022 | 18:30 | Ingolstadt 04 | Home | 2–2 | Schleusener 69', Hofmann 75' | 16,655 | |
| 32 | 29 April 2022 | 18:30 | Hannover 96 | Away | 0–2 | | 13,700 | |
| 33 | 8 May 2022 | 13:30 | Dynamo Dresden | Home | 2–2 | Gondorf 65', Hofmann 74' | 18,649 | |
| 34 | 15 May 2022 | 15:30 | 1. FC Heidenheim | Away | 0–2 | | 10,599 | 12th |

### DFB-Pokal

DFB-Pokal match details :
| Round | Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| Second round | 27 October 2021 | 18:30 | Bayer Leverkusen | Away | 2–1 | Cueto 5', Choi 63' | 13,060 |
| Round of 16 | 18 January 2022 | 18:30 | 1860 Munich | Away | 1–0 | Wanikzek 69' pen. | |
| Quarter-final | 2 March 2022 | 18:30 | Hamburger SV | Away | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | Heise 40', Hofmann 50' | 25,000 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 8 June 2021 | MF | Lucas Cueto | Viktoria Köln | Undisclosed |
| 8 June 2021 | MF | Fabio Kaufmann | Eintracht Braunschweig | Undisclosed |
| 11 June 2021 | DF | Philip Heise | Norwich City | Free |
| 25 June 2021 | FW | Fabian Schleusener | 1. FC Nürnberg | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2021 | MF | Leon Jensen | (FSV Zwickau) | Free |
| 20 July 2021 | GK | Niklas Heeger | (VfB Stuttgart II) | Free |

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | Club | Return | Ref. |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 20 June 2021 | MF | David Trivunic | FC Nöttingen | Undisclosed |
| 30 June 2021 | DF | David Pisot | (SpVgg Unterhaching) | Released |
| 30 June 2021 | DF | Alexander Groiß | (1. FC Saarbrücken) | Released |
| 30 June 2021 | FW | Babacar Gueye | Unattached | Released |
| 5 July 2021 | DF | Dirk Carlson | Erzgebirge Aue | Undisclosed |

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Name | Club | Return | Ref. |
| 7 July 2021 | DF | Luca Bolay | 1. FC Nürnberg II | End of season | |