Bayer 04 fans are putting on a special show for tonight’s Champions League match between the Werkself and Porto: To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the fan friendship between Bayer 04 and Kickers Offenbach, a large piece of choreography is planned in the North Stand just before kick-off and it is definitely not to be missed. So get to your seats in good time and feel the excitement.
UEFA have appointed István Kovács as the referee for the game against Porto. The Champions League encounter is the second match involving the Werkself with the 38-year-old match official in charge. The Black and Reds secured a 3-1 away win in the Europa League in 2019/20 on the previous occasion. The Romanian referee will tonight be assisted by his fellow countrymen Mihai Ovidiu Artene and Mihai Marica and Italian referee Paolo Valeri is the VAR official. Have a good game.
FC Porto tonight have the chance to win both games against the German team in the group stage of the Champions League for the fourth time. That previously happened against Werder Bremen (1993/94), Hertha Berlin (1999/00) and Hamburg SV (2006/07). However, the Dragons have not won any of their last seven outings against German teams on the European stage (two draws, five defeats). The last victory was a 3-1 win at Hamburg in the Champions League in 2006/07. On the other hand, the Werkself are in a position to win two home games in succession in the Champions League for the first time in eight years. The last time the Black and Reds achieved that was in October 2014 in the matches against Benfica (3-1) and Zenit St Petersburg (2-0).
Moreover: Three of the last four champions League goals for Porto was scored by substitutes including both of last week's goals against Leverkusen. They were both from assists by Mehdi Taremi. It's the first time the 30 year-old has been involved in more than one goal in a Champions League match. The team under head coach Xabi Alonso know what to expect.
Following the 2-0 away defeat against Porto on Tuesday 4 October, the Portuguese repeated the performance in their league: There was a 2-0 away win against SC Portimonense putting the Dragons in second place on 22 points in touch with league leaders Benfica (25 points). The Werkself were also able to pick up points: The last Bundesliga matchday brought a deserved 4-0 home win against Schalke 04.
The Portuguese have suffered a bitter blow ahead of the return match against the Werkself: Stalwart Pepe is sidelined after a knee injury sustained in training last week. At the same time, Wendell is looking forward to his return to Leverkusen. The Brazilian played under the Bayer Cross for seven years making 250 appearances for the Black and Reds. Further news on our opponents from the north-west of Portugal can be found here.
Bayer 04 fans can find out the latest key information ahead of Champions League home games in Werkself LIVE – as is the case for today's clash with Porto. The flyer, with stats and facts on the match against the team under head coach Sérgio Conceição is available at the BayArena. It is also available online HERE.
Anybody unable to be at the BayArena can again rely on Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast of the match begins 30 minutes before kick-off. In addition, you can stay informed via live text updates so you do not need to miss anything that happens in the match against the North Portuguese side. Both Werkself Radio and the live text updates can be found at bayer04.de as well as on the Bayer 04 app.
The sports tribunal of the German Football Association (DFB) has fined Bayer 04 Leverkusen €250. The decision was preceded by a case brought by the DFB control committee for unsporting conduct by a Bayer 04 supporter: 37 minutes into the Bundesliga game at home to SC Freiburg at the beginning of September, a Leverkusen spectator threw a firework towards the penalty area. As the Werkself were able to identify the perpetrator, the fine was reduced from €1,000 by 75% to €250 as according to sentencing guidelines.
The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
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A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
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For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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