Bayer 04 against VfL Wolfsburg in front of 30,210 fans – that would be great! But the coronavirus pandemic continues to restrict public life in Germany and Bundesliga matches will be played behind closed doors at least until the end of the season. So, do what Jens Nowotny does: Follow the hygiene and safety regulations and take your 'regular berth' for the end of the season run-in. Do it like 'Jenne' and make yourself comfortable in front of the television to get behind the Werkself from home. Tonight’s match will be broadcast live on Sky. And, of course, Werkself Radio will again be there at the kick-off: Niko and Cedric are your commentators for the match – live and free of charge (in German) at bayer04.de or on the app. Highlights of the game will be shown on ARD Sportschau tonight at 22.45 CET.
Kick-off at the BayArena is at 20.30 CET – but it is worth getting into football mode half an hour earlier. From 20.00 CET, Bayer 04 again broadcast 'Spieltag -Die Show' live on YouTube to get the fans in the mood for the game. The guest this time is club legend Rüdiger Vollborn. We will also go over to our stadium announcers Pitti and Tobi at the BayArena for the team line-ups. Of course, Dirk Maverick will again sing the club anthem – joining in is welcome and desired! Then Werkself Radio will take over for the kick-off. Tune in!
Since last autumn, the Bayer 04 ground staff have had a machine that has come to the fore during the coronavirus pandemic. The UFC180 is like a grass cutter that transmits UV rays. "Due to the fact that certain pesticides are no longer approved, we've had to look round for new possibilities in looking after the pitch," explained Georg Schmitz, head groundsman at Bayer 04. And that's where the UFC180 comes in: The UV rays kill fungal infections before they can attack the grass. Scientists have also discovered that UV rays can destroy corona viruses. That means the BayArena pitch is now regularly ‘disinfected’. Schmitz and his team need one and a half hours to cover the whole pitch.
Referee Daniel Schlager is in charge of tonight's match between the Werkself and VfL Wolfsburg. For the match official from Hügelsheim in South Baden, it will be the 18th Bundesliga match in his career and the second game involving the Werkself. In January he refereed the home game against Fortuna Düsseldorf that ended in a 3-0 win for the Bosz team. Since the suspension of the league, instead of the previous two days notice, the DFB now announces the match officials on the day of the game after referees have been tested for coronavirus.
The former Bayer 04 player Peter Szech would have celebrated his 67th birthday today. Szech joined the then second division Bayer 04 in 1978/79. He played a big part in promotion to the top-flight with his 15 goals in his first season at Leverkusen. In a total of 153 appearances for the Werkself, the Essen-born player scored 39 goals. Szech died at the age of 60 as a result of a motorcycle accident on 3 March 2014.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without centre-back Edmond Tapsoba in the coming weeks. The Burkina Faso international returned to the Werkself from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a muscle injury.
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The Werkself are away to Hamburg SV at the end of the Hinrunde in the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign. The match at the newly promoted club is on Tuesday night, 13 January (kick-off: 20:30 CET). Ahead of the first encounter with HSV since 2018, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the strengths of the opponents, lessons learnt from the home defeat against VfB Stuttgart and provided a squad update.
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In Germany, the temperatures are currently around zero, leaving even professional footballers freezing - but not the Bayer 04 Women. Roberto Pätzold's team have fled the cold to the south and are preparing for the second half of the season at a training camp in the Algarve, almost 2,000 kilometres away from home as the crow flies. The Leverkusen squad landed in Faro on Saturday morning and have already completed the first three training sessions over the weekend.
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It was a disappointing Saturday night. The Werkself lost 4-1 to VfB Stuttgart to start the new year on Bundesliga matchday 16 in 2025/26, a result that left both players and fans disappointed. "We played without any passion," said Alejandro Grimaldo honestly afterwards. Teammate Jarell Quansah was even more self-critical, emphasising: "We were miles off it in the first half. You can't put in a performance like that, especially in front of our own fans and I can only apologise to them, to be honest." Read on for the reaction, facts and stats from the clash with VfB Stuttgart in the Werkself review.
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