The large number of fans, who made their way to the BayArena on the first day of the Easter holidays, were able to watch all the players with the exception of the two long-term absentees Karim Bellarabi and Joel Pohjanpalo – the captain Lars Bender, who was not in the squad for the Stuttgart game on Saturday, took part in the 70-minute session that focused on stamina work. Ahead of the duel against Nürnberg, the Werkself have another open session tomorrow before the Black and Reds continue preparing for the next home game behind closed doors on Thursday.
Kai Havertz was the only Werkself player to be included in the German Football League (bundesliga.de) Team of the Day on matchday 29. The primary reason was his third converted penalty of the season in the Bundesliga that proved to be the winner in the 1-0 victory over Stuttgart – no other player has achieved that at his age (19 years, 306 days). It was also goal number 13 of the season for Havertz who made his 100th appearance for the Werkself in Stuttgart on Saturday (including 83 in the Bundesliga). But that's not all: the young national player has netted his 20th goal in the league – only Horst Köppel achieved that at a younger age (19 years, 241 days; in 1966/67).
Last week, Bayer 04 received the 'Digital Champions Award' in the 'Digital Customer Experience' category. An internal (staff) app for the improvement of the stadium experience at the BayArena was assessed. With the help of the app, a large number of the members of staff at home games are supplied with important information via smartphones or tablets and, for example, it makes checking the kiosks easier. The 'Digital Champions Award' is an award for the German growth market in the area of digitisation and transformation and the target is to reward the most significant projects of SMEs and reach a wide audience.
From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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The draw for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 was made today, Friday 27 February: Bayer 04 face Premier League leaders Arsenal. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes sees the English team as a "top opponent" and is looking forward to meeting former Werkself players Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie again.
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After three consecutive victories, FSV Mainz 05 recently suffered setbacks against Borussia Dortmund (0-4) and Hamburger SV (1-1) in the battle to stay up. Nevertheless, the Mainz 05 performance curve has shown a clear upward trend in recent weeks. Their coach and a former Leverkusen player in particular have played a decisive role in this. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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