UEFA has appointed the Italian referee Maurizio Mariani for tonight's match against Club Brugge. The 40-year-old has previously refereed one match involving the Werkself – the 3-2 away win at OGC Nice in the group stage of the Europa League in the 2020/21 season. Mariani will be assisted by his fellow countrymen Fabiano Preti and Daniele Bindoni on the touchline and Paolo Valeri is the VAR official. Have a good game!
“Never change a running system,” appears to be the maxim for the Belgians in the current Champions League season: Brugge head coach Carl Hoefkens has only made three changes to his starting line-up with only Benfica making fewer (one). In contrast, the Werkself have made 14 changes to their starting eleven in the five previous group matches.
Moreover: Bayer 04 and Club Brugge have only previously faced each other twice on the European stage. And the Belgians went unbeaten both times: There was a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Cup in October 2006 and at the start of this Champions League campaign, Club Brugge beat the Black and Reds 1-0 in the first group match. The Hoefkens team were able to win at home but now the Belgians are on the road – and Brugge have only won one of the previous 15 away matches in Europe against German clubs (four draws, ten defeats). That one victory came on the last visit to Germany: A 2-1 win at RB Leipzig was achieved in the group stage of the Champions League last term.
Club Brugge are possibly the surprise package in the current Champions League campaign: They started in Group B as the supposed underdogs but the Hoefkens team are currently top of the group with ten points from the first five matches (three wins, one draw). The Belgian side are already certain of progress to the Round of 16 in the Champions League – through to the knockout stages for the first time in the history of Club Brugge. The Belgians had kept clean sheets up to the last match when they suffered a 4-0 defeat against Porto. Although they are through to the next round, Brugge are not certain of winning the group so they will endeavour to produce another convincing performance in tonight's game against the Werkself.
The Hoefkens team are currently third in the Jupiler Pro League with 32 points. They clocked up a 4-2 win in the last outing against KV Oostende currently lying fourteenth in the table. Not just the three points but the committed desire to win were evident in that game: They gave away a 2-0 lead through their own mistakes but showed courage and finally secured a deserved 4-2 win. More information on today's opponents from West Flanders can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
Anybody wanting information ahead of the game between the Alonso team and the Hoefkens eleven can catch up with the new Werkself LIVE. The matchday magazine, providing stats and facts on the clash with the club from West Flanders, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively it is available online free of charge HERE.
Anybody not able to make the match against Club Brugge can tune in to Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann. As usual, the latest information is available via live text so you do not have to miss any of the action against the Belgian side. Both Werkself Radio and the live text service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
There are further problems with travelling to and from the game on public transport due to the suspension of the S-Bahn service in and around Leverkusen-Mitte station. Further up-to-date information can be found on the websites of the Deutsche Bahn and wupsi.
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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