Not only the press had special praise for striker Lucas Alario who scored the winner against Paderborn on 25 minutes. His team-mate Aleksandar Dragovic was also rejoicing in the Mixed Zone after the win: "Lucas is an unpredictable animal in the box. He's a lion and we just need to feed him." Alario also scored last weekend in the 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen – his Werkself team-mates certainly seem to be feeding him well in terms of assists at the moment.
In addition to Alario and Dragovic, there was another Bayer 04 pro on the pitch against Paderborn who the fans last saw in a competitive match 334 days ago. Defender Panagiotis Retsos, at Leverkusen since the summer of 2017 and hit by several long-term injuries, celebrated his comeback. The 21-year-old replace the injured Lars Bender on 31 minutes and did a good job. May that continue, Panos!
Turid Knaak wore the Bayer 04 shirt for six years (2011-17). In that time, she made 102 appearances scoring 20 goals. What few people know: The striker was a winner with the Werkself women's team in 2015 in the last DFB indoor cup competition. Since the summer of 2017, the 28-year-old has been at the Flyeralarm Bundesliga club SGS Essen and on Sunday (from 18.00 CET, live on ARD) she is replacing the ARD ski expert Felix Neureuther, absent due to illness, in drawing the Round of 16 matches of the DFB Cup. She will be accompanied in the German Football Museum in Dortmund by Andreas Köpke, the Germany goalkeeping coach, and presenter Matthias Opdenhövel.
Bayer 04 failed to win in five games in October: In the group stage of the Champions League there were two defeats at Juventus (0-3) and Atletico Madrid (0-1), a 3-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt plus two draws (1-1 against Leipzig, 2-2 against Werder Bremen). The DFB Cup did bring the first win for the Werkself in this less than golden October.
The Bayer 04 pros now go into November. And the Werkself fixture list continues to bring game after game: There are six matches in 26 days with a number of exciting duels. The meeting with the league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach is followed by the visit of Atletico Madrid to the BayArena and in form Wolfsburg and Freiburg are also opponents as are Champions League competitors Lokomotiv Moscow and then Bayern Munich.
The Werkself host 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 at the BayArena on matchday 10 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The match is on 8 November at 15:30 CET and is a Members matchday. Information on ticket sales.
Show more
The Werkself host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena on matchday 12 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The match is on Saturday, 29 November, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
Show more
One week after the derby was abandoned, the Werkself continue their winning run in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team won 2-0 at TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday afternoon, mainly thanks to a strong second half, to record their fifth consecutive victory. Loreen Bender (75’) and Vanessa Fudalla (82’) scored for Bayer 04 at the Dietmar Hopp Stadium and Leverkusen now have twelve points from five games.
Show more
Argentina’s success at the U20 World Cup in Chile continues. The junior Albiceleste, with Bayer 04 player Alejo Sarco in the starting XI, beat Mexico 2-0 in the quarter-finals on Sunday night. Colombia, who knocked out Spain, now await in the semi-finals on Thursday night.
Show more
The abandoned Bundesliga derby between the Bayer 04 Women and FC Köln has been rescheduled for Thursday, 16 October with the kick-off at 18:00 CEST. This was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Saturday following a decision by the DFB Sports Tribunal. The match at the Franz Kremer Stadium on Sunday 5 October was abandoned with the score at 1-0 to the hosts due to floodlight failure.
Show more
