The Werkself sealed qualification for the Champions League with a game to play thanks to an outstanding second half in the away game at TSG Hoffenheim. The man of the match for the third placed team from Leverkusen was once again striker Patrik Schick who scored a brace and also provided an assist for Moussa Diaby.
kicker justifiably named the Czech striker as the Man of the Match. The reasoning in the football journal: "There were three world-class actions. Three pieces of magic and three moves that demonstrate the capabilities of the centre-forward. The Czech Republic international, who scored goals 23 and 24 on his 26th appearance, impressively demonstrated his class and importance to Bayer 04."
Schick, who is in the kicker Team of the Day for the fourth time, is joined by his teammates Diaby (for a sixth time), Edmond Tapsoba (two) and Charles Aránguiz (one). Schick is also included in the team of matchday 33 on Sportschau.de.
Bild-Zeitung included both Diaby and Schick in their Team of the Day. And Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane was named Coach of the Matchday for his decisions in the game. The trio all received top marks.
Lukas Hradecky, Patrik Schick and Co. looked particularly good in the red T-shirts in Sinsheim and the celebration of the 13th campaign in Europe's premier club competition went down well the fans. Minutes after the start of sales, the first run of the "Back again – Bayer in the Champions League" T-shirts were sold out. And the second run is going fast. Anyone wanting a shirt should grab the chance now. The last of 1,800 T-shirts are changing hands. Click here for the T-Shirt.
The impressive performances and results for the Werkself in 2022 are clearly reflected in the Bundesliga second half of the season table: Bayer 04, like the former and new champions Bayern Munich, have picked up an impressive 33 points from 16 games since the start of the year. Only RB Leipzig (35) have picked up more points. In addition, FC Bayern and the Werkself both have the same goal difference of +20.
The Black and Reds and 28 points in the first half of the season – putting them fourth. Bayer 04 have one game left play this season: the home game against SC Freiburg on Saturday 14 May at 15.30 CEST at the BayArena.
Bayer 04 congratulates Jupp Heynckes on his 77th birthday. The Gladbach-born player and coach was in charge of Bayer 04 from 1 July 2009 and he went 29 games without defeat across two seasons – back then a record in the Bundesliga. The Black and Reds finished runners-up in 2010/11 and reached the Round of 16 in the Europa League with Heynckes in charge.
Thanks to the second-place finish the year before, Heynckes was the first coach in seven years to take the Werkself back into the Champions League. Up to his departure at the end of the 2010/11 season, his time in the dugout over 38 games included 20 wins, 8 draws and 10 defeats. Heynckes together with his assistant coach and club legend Peter Hermann then moved on to Bayern Munich.
There were also plenty of congratulations amongst the Bayer 04 Women's squad at training today as two players celebrated their birthdays. Caroline Siems is 23, Julia Pollak 20. Full-back Siems joined Leverkusen at the start of the season from English club Aston Villa and has played 17 times for the Black and Reds. The youth international Pollak also joined the club in the summer of last year. The defender on loan from Bayern Munich has made nine appearances for the Bayer 04 Women's team. Many happy returns.
After back-to-back away defeats, Bayer 04 Women now face their penultimate home fixture of 2026 as they welcome Hamburg to the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Saturday (14:00 CET) seeking three important points in the Google Pixel Bundesliga.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and what matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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After three consecutive wins in the Europa League, the Werkself suffered their first European defeat of the season against Marseille. In a first half with few chances, the Black and Reds gradually gained more and more control of the game, but were unable to convert that advantage into goals. Miguel Gutiérrez came closest to putting Leverkusen ahead with a shot that hit the crossbar. In the second half, the French side produced clinical finishing, with Amine Gouiri scoring from a counter-attack to make it 1-0 (77’). Right up to the final whistle, the Werkself threw everything forward in search of an equaliser, but were unable to find a way back into the game.
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Bayer 04 are riding a wave of success on the European stage: After three wins from their first three games and as the only team yet to concede a goal, the Werkself sit second in the table in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. With another three points in their first-ever competitive match against Olympique Marseille on Thursday night, 5 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Bayer 04 could leap to the top of the table. Meanwhile, the French side are riding the wave of a winning streak in Ligue 1, but are yet to pick up any points in the Europa League. For one Werkself player, Thursday night will mark a reunion with his former team-mates. Today’s matchday news.
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The Bundesliga has finalised the fixtures for matchdays 12 to 18 of the 2026/27 season. Here is an overview of the dates.
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