A good omen? Bayer 04 have never lost when Sören Storks has been the referee. The 33-year-old has been in charge of four games involving the Black and Reds with the Werkself winning three. Storks showed the yellow card to today’s hosts three times. His assistants on Monday night, 26 October (kick-off: 20.30 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app), Thorben Siewer and Philipp Hüwe. Dr. Felix Brych is the VAR referee.
As CEO Christian Seifert announced on Monday, he will leave the German Football League (DFL) at the end of his contract in June 2022. After 17 years with the DFL, the 51-year-old is looking to “begin a new chapter in his professional career.”
Fernando Carro, chairman of the board at Bayer 04, said in response to Seifert’s announcement: “The Bundesliga and thereby Bayer 04 Leverkusen are grateful to Christian Seifert for the outstanding work he has performed to date for German football. He will be a hard act to follow with the huge challenges that have to be overcome.”
Augsburg’s head coach Heiko Herrlich was able to gain a massive amount of experience as a player and coach at the Werkself. Bayer 04 enabled the man from Mannheim to take his first steps as professional footballer in 1989 and then in 2017 he had the opportunity to work as head coach in the Bundesliga.
The total of five and a half years the now 48-year-old spent at Leverkusen had a big effect on his life and character as the coach explained at the FCA press conference on Sunday. “I’m very grateful I had the chance there and I look back very positively,” said Herrlich who is assuming the Werkself will have gained a lot of strength ahead of the game against his team with the Europa League opener against Nice (6-2). “I expect all of my players to give 100 per cent,” added Herrlich.
The Robert Enke Foundation (RES) has provided important work for the past ten years on education, research and treatment of depression. As part of the campaign ‘Robert Enke Foundation on tour’, the foundation is providing the opportunity for digital and individual contact to gain information on the illness of depression and means of support. At the Werkself home game against FC Augsburg, people have the chance to make contact with workers from the foundation via an online platform. The foundation workers will be available from 17.30 to 20.30 CET on Monday.
The German Football Association (DFB) has postponed all international fixtures and courses for the junior national teams until the end of the year due to the increasing number of coronavirus infections. From a Black and Red perspective, that affects Bundesliga defender and Germany U20 international Juliane Wirtz plus U19 youngster Emrehan Gedikli. The central striker, who was in the Werkself squad for the first time in the 1-0 win at Mainz, recently played for the Germany U18s.
This does not apply to the U21 team who have qualifiers for the European Championships coming up. Coach Stefan Kuntz has called up the Leverkusen players Lennart Grill and Florian Wirtz recently.
Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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