Nadiem Amiri knows the Rhine from growing up – even if it was 200 kilometres south of Leverkusen: The 1.78 metre right-footer, with Afghani roots, was born in Ludwigshafen am Rhein on 27 October 1996. After playing in youth teams for Ludwigshafen SC, FC Kaiserslautern and SV Waldhof Mannheim, Amiri joined the Hoffenheim U17s in the summer of 2012. In 2014 he was in the Hoffenheim team that won the German U19 Championships and he made his first appearance for the senior squad shortly after that: On 7 February 2015 he made his debut in Germany's top flight under coach Markus Gisdol at the age of 18. And he was an immediate hit. Also in the starting eleven for TSG at the time: Kevin Volland who signed for Bayer 04 a year later.
Thanks to his technique, pace, work rate and commitment, Amiri, who appeared rather shy and reserved off the pitch, shone with the pros making a total of 115 appearances – in the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup and Europa League through to the Champions League. The new Werkself number 11 scored 13 goals and provided 13 assists in total.
Since making his debut for the Germany youth team in November 2013, Amiri has regularly been invited to play for the Germany junior teams. Most recently that was at the U 21 European Championships in Italy and San Marino back in June – and that despite the 22-year-old not only missed the whole first half of last season due to a stress fracture in his left metatarsal but also with the campaign ending early for him due to a torn ligament in his left ankle.
The U 21 European Champion of 2017 did demonstrate his value in this year's competition: Amiri played in all five of Germany's games. The number 18 played a significant part in winning the silver medal with three goals and two assists that impressively repaid the confidence shown in him by coach Stefan Kuntz.
There won’t just be plenty of excitement on the pitch as Bayer 04 host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena at 18:30 CET on Saturday. Outside the stadium there will be collection points for food donations to the Leverkusen Foodbank, which will also benefit from the profits of a jersey raffle in the Fanwelt afterwards. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off following the passing of long-time Werkself player Dieter Herzog, before two fan clubs are honoured for their decades-long support at half-time and fans receive a talk about Orange Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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Bayer 04 go into the first of two successive clashes with Borussia Dortmund boosted by their Champions League win at Manchester City. Ahead of the Bundesliga top match on Saturday, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the tight schedule, BVB's strengths and returning squad members.
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Borussia Dortmund are doing very well in terms of points and results in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. BVB have only suffered two defeats to date this term. Now coach Niko Kovac's team are away to the Werkself on Saturday night, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET) in the top match on Bundesliga matchday 12. The two teams meet again three days later in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie in Dortmund. Two very competitive encounters are on the cards. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Bayer 04 Women clcoked up a 3-2 win in a friendly against Twente Enschede on Thursday afternoon in the last international break of 2025. In drizzle, Lilla Turanyi (16’), Kristin Kögel (65’) and Paulina Bartz (69’) scored the goals for the Werkself against the Dutch Eredivisie Vrouwen leaders, who are still unbeaten in the league.
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