The Werkself have clocked up victories in eleven out of 13 games in 2020. The record in detail: Peter Bosz’s team have won seven out of nine games in the Bundesliga with the others producing one draw and one defeat. Bayer 04 have progressed to the semi-finals of the DFB Cup, after a 2-1 win against VfB Stuttgart in the Round of 16 and a 3-1 win in the quarter-final tie against Union Berlin, where FC Saarbrücken are the opponents. It remains to be seen when the game will be played. And the Werkself are still in the running in the Europa League having knocked out FC Porto in the Round of 32 and have won the first leg of the Round of 16 tie against Glasgow Rangers.
In the currently paused Bundesliga, Bayer 04 are fifth in the table on 47 points – two behind Borussia Mönchengladbach, three behind RB Leipzig, four behind Borussia Dortmund and eight points behind league leaders Bayern Munich. By comparison: At the same point last term, the points the tally was 42 – five less than now.
A look at the second half of the season table underlines the fantastic start to 2020 for the Werkself – the team under head coach Peter Bosz (19 points) are in third place behind Bayern (22) and Dortmund (21).
The only defeat in 2020 for the Werkself came on Bundesliga matchday 20 against TSG Hoffenheim. Bayer 04 ended up losing 2-1 after Moussa Diaby scored the opening goal. Disappointing! But the only slip-up…
One key element of the good situation is, without doubt, Bayer 04’s brilliant home form. The Werkself are unbeaten at home this season. The Black and Reds have picked up seven out of a possible seven wins with the backing of their fans. Not a single point dropped! Fortress BayArena.
No question, Kai Havertz has not been as effective as usual in spite all of his commitment. In 21 games across all competitions, he was ‘only’ involved in four goals – three strikes and one assist. Since the start of the year, Havertz has rediscovered his previous fine form. Our number 29 has scored seven goals and provided seven assists since the winter break. He has three times as many goals and assists together than in the first half of the season.
Havertz achieved an historic achievement on matchday 25: The 20-year-old opened the scoring on four minutes in the 4-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt to clock up his 30th goal in the Bundesliga. At the age of 20 years and 270 days, he is the youngest player in the history of the Bundesliga to reach that number. The previous record holder, Klaus Fischer, was 15 days holder.
The 21-year-old central defender was signed from Vitoria Guimaraes in the winter break – and he is already a first-team regular. In the first two games after signing, the 6 foot 2 Tapsoba was on the bench but the 21-year-old played the full 90 minutes in his debut against Borussia Dortmund on 8 February and he has gone the full distance in eight games since. Only in the Europa League game in Glasgow was he substituted on 68 minutes. Peter Bosz is full of praise for the newcomer: “I don’t normally bring through players that quickly. You can’t believe he’s only been here for a few weeks.”
And it’s also going like clockwork for Moussa Diaby. Our summer signing has scored 04 goals and provided five assists in 2020. And it appears he has been inspired by the (impending) birth of his first child. His son was born on 28 February.
This man is not only up for having fun all the time but Lukas Hradecky is also an outstanding goalkeeper. The Finn with Slovakian roots has kept eight clean sheets in the Bundesliga this season, including three in 2020 – only Manuel Neuer (ten clean sheets, Bayern Munich) was better. In terms of saves, Hradecky (71.7 %) is the third best regular keeper with only Yann Sommer (75.4 %, Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Peter Gulacsi (72.4 %, RB Leipzig) performing better.
With seven points, Mainz 05 are currently joint seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Bayer 04. In today’s head-to-head clash (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself must be particularly wary of the clinical Mainz strike duo. For Leverkusen fans who have left it to the last minute, there are still a few tickets available from the matchday ticket office. Those following the Black and Reds from home, on the other hand, have a choice: RTL is broadcasting the match on free-to-air TV, and Werkself Radio is also offering the expert commentary of former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz. Today’s matchday news.
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Back from the international break: On Saturday 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to Mainz 05. Ahead of the clash at the MEWA ARENA against the side currently sixth in the table, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the team’s work during the extended international break. The Spaniard also commented, when asked, on a number of squad matters, including Ibrahim Maza.
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FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Thomas Eichin has been working for Bayer 04 for six years – as Director of Professional Teams since July 2023 – and has contributed to the successful development of our club in many areas. Today, Friday 9 October, Freiburg-born Eichin is celebrating his 60th birthday. We wish him a very happy birthday.
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Together with his family, friends and close associates, Bayer 04 Leverkusen bid farewell to Peter Hermann. The club’s long-serving assistant manager passed away on 19 September following a serious illness. Today, Thursday 8 October, Bayer 04 held an event attended by around 200 invited guests to commemorate Peter Hermann’s legacy. Representatives from the DFB and the other professional clubs where Hermann worked paid their respects to him at the BayArena.
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