The Black and Red Champions League special edition is here. Werkself Magazin number 38 appears in time for the opening game for Bayer 04 in the Champions League. This has already been sent out to members of the Werkself by post and now the magazine is available online. It contains a big interview with head coach Gerardo Seoane, contains information on the Champions League campaign in 2022/23 and there is also everything on the history of Bayer 04 in Europe's premier club competition.
Click here for the free online edition
UEFA have appointed Irfan Peljto as the match official the meeting with Club Brugge. The Champions League match is the first game involving the Werkself under the 38-year-old referee from Bosnia-Herzegovina who has been a FIFA official since 2015. At the Jan Breydel Stadium, Peljto will be assisted by his fellow countrymen Senad Ibrisimbegović and Davor Beljo, with the Italian Marco Guida as the VAR official. Have a good game.
Club Brugge and Bayer 04 meet in a European competition for the second time. The last game in the Champions League group stage in 2006/07 produced a 1-1 draw with Bernd Schneider giving the Black and Reds the lead in the first half. For the Belgian side, this will be the tenth time in Europe's premier club competition. However, Club Brugge have not progressed through the group stage in all of their nine previous attempts, more than any other club.
Comparing the start to the season by the two clubs, the Belgians appear to have upper hand: 16 points in the first seven games in the Jupiter Pro League sees last year's champions of Belgium third in the table at the moment. Despite many new signings, Club Brugge have been prolific in front of goal (17 goals). It remains to be seen how the Belgians will perform against the Werkself tonight. Further information on our opponents from West Flanders can be found in the analysis of our next opponents.
Anybody unable to make the trip to Belgium can follow the audio broadcast on the Werkself Radio from 30 minutes before kick-off. Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann will keep fans up-to-date with the action in the game against the Belgian side. You can also keep in touch via live text updates. Both the radio and update service can be found at bayer04.de as well as on the Bayer 04 app.
Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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The champions of Slovenia NK Celje are in a European competition for the fourth time in their history. This Wednesday, 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the side lead by head coach Vitor Campelos visit the BayArena for matchday 1 in the group stage in the UEFA Europa League. Celje’s last match at the weekend did not go to plan. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Construction work continues on the ‘Haus der Talente’ on Kurtekottenweg in Leverkusen, where 36 young elite athletes will find a new home from next summer. The building team from Temmink Bau, led by Thomas Wellers, are hard at work. Over the past few days, excavators, wheeled loaders and rollers have removed 2,500 cubic metres of soil to excavate the basement.
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