After winning the Middle Rhine championship, Bayer 04, with Rummel at the helm, beat Union Solingen and Arminia Hannover in the promotion play-offs to move up to Germany's second tier – establishing the base for promotion to the Bundesliga four years later.
Manfred Rummel's main job was as a PE teacher at the Essen Special School for children with learning disabilities. After his stay at Bayer 04 , he went on to coach ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. At both clubs he went on to be a member of management after his coaching roles: CEO at Essen, general manager and vice-president at Oberhausen. As a player, Manfred Rummel was a successful striker at Schwarz-Weiß Essen and in 1959 he played a significant part in the biggest success in the club's history in winning the DFB Cup. He scored both goals in the 2-1 semi-final victory over Hamburg SV and he also netted a brace in the 5-2 win in the final against Borussia Neunkirchen. In 1961/62 Manfred Rummel was the top scorer in the Oberliga West - the top tier in German football at the time - with 26 goals.
Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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