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 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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