At the start of the international break, Germany were only able to draw 3-3 against Turkey on Wednesday night; the Werkself players Jonathan Tah and Nadiem Amiri came on in the second half. The friendly involving Germany is followed by a Nations League clash in Ukraine on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 20.45 CEST/live on ARD). Germany coach Joachim Löw announced his 23-man squad for the away game on Thursday.
The 60-year-old has kept Werkself central defender Tah in his squad alongside former Leverkusen players Bernd Leno, Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz. In contrast, Nadiem Amiri will not travel to Ukraine. The 23-year-old is one of five players Löw has not included in his squad for the next game.
The youngest Bundesliga goalscorer, the gold Fritz Walter Medal – and the next sporting milestone in sight. Bayer 04 youngster Florian Wirtz is in the current U21 squad and, if he plays in the Euro qualifier against Moldova on Friday, 9 October (kick-off: 18.15 CEST/live on ProSieben MAXX), he will become the youngest Germany U21 international – at the age of 17 years and 159 days.
This week, the U21 head coach Stefan Kuntz again praised the Leverkusen player. “Florian is one of the outstanding talents in Germany,” said the 57-year-old. “We’re happy we have such a very, very big talent here with us. Because he has things that we can’t completely cover in our squad.”
Wirtz was originally due to make his debut for the oldest Germany junior team in September. However, the Werkself’s participation in the Europa League led to the parties agreeing to postpone his debut.
His record last season is worth a look: 7 goals in 24 Bundesliga matches – 3 goals in 4 DFB Cup games– 2 goals in 3 appearances in the Europa League. Lucas Alario always proved reliable in front of the opposition goal last term. The Argentina international is now in his fourth season at the Werkself – and on Wednesday he was 28.
The central striker celebrated his birthday back home in Argentina: Alario, like Exequiel Palacios, is currently playing for La Albiceleste for a place at the World Cup. Bayer 04 wish: Many happy returns on your birthday, Lucas!
FC Augsburg are top of the table for the first time in their Bundesliga history. After two wins for starters, FCA lead the German top-flight with six points and a goal difference of 7 to 1. This Saturday, 12 September (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), Augsburg are looking to build on their strong start to the season against the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The German Football Association (DFB) confirmed the kick-off times for the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Thursday. Bayer 04 will meet 1. FC Nürnberg on Wednesday 28 October at 20:45 CET.
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This Wednesday afternoon, the German Football Association (DFB) announced the exact kick-off times for Matchday 6 in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. According to the fixture list, the Bayer 04 Women’s home match against Werder Bremen will be played on Friday, 2 October, at 18:30 CEST.
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Just in time for the start of the school year, everyone was hard at work again at NaturGut Ophoven. For the 21st time, Bayer 04 have supported the annual ‘BioBrotbox’ campaign, which puts together a healthy breakfast for first-year primary school pupils in Leverkusen – and not only contributed 1,904 muesli bars but also plenty of enthusiasm too: Together with the U19 players Burak Kir and Clinton Wilson, Emily Wallrabenstein and Paulina Platner from the Women’s Bundesliga team helped with the packing. The latter was clearly delighted “that Bayer 04 are helping out with regional projects like this and showing their commitment to the local community”.
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