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 Werkself consolidated their position among the top teams in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga thanks to a last-minute goal on Wednesday evening. Roberto Pätzold’s team beat Hamburger SV 2-1 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Kristin Kögel (14’) and Caroline Kehrer (90’+5) scored for Bayer 04. The result takes Bayer 04 Women onto 19 points, third in the table behind top two Bayern Munich (25) and VfL Wolfsburg (22).
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One Bayer 04 player in particular is looking forward to the Werkself’s Champions League match away at Benfica on Wednesday 5 November (kick-off at 21:00 CET). Alejandro Grimaldo returns to his old stomping ground for the first time since he joined Bayer 04 two years ago. He encounters a Portuguese side that are unbeaten in the domestic league but under pressure in the UEFA Champions League having not taken any points, even under new coach José Mourinho. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in Lisbon.
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For the first time this season, the Bayer Leverkusen U19s were beaten in the UEFA Youth League. After two wins and a draw, Bayer 04 lost 5-0 at Benfica on matchday 4. The goals for the home side were scored by Goncalo Moreira (9’, 40’) and Francisco Silva (43’) in the first half. After the restart, Eduardo Fernandes (48’) and Gil Neves (55’) completed the scoring.
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He is the best example of how far successful and professional youth development can go: Kai Havertz joined Bayer 04 from Alemannia Aachen at the age of eleven. At 17, the Germany international made his first appearance for the senior team, graduated from high school in Leverkusen and is still the youngest player ever to make one hundred appearances in the Bundesliga. From London, where he plays for top club Arsenal, Havertz is closely following the discussion about the Bayer 04 Campus and, like more than 11,000 other supporters, has signed the petition launched by Bayer 04 fans from Monheim am Rhein.
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