
FC Zürich were champions of the Swiss Super League last season under head coach André Breitenreiter (now at TSG Hoffenheim) with a commanding 14 point lead over the runners-up. The current campaign has been less successful for the club from Zürich: FCZ are currently next to bottom in the Swiss league with twelve points from 16 games.
The Werkself and FC Zürich have previously met three times. Bayer 04 secured an emphatic 5-0 win in a group match in the UEFA Cup in 2007/08. In 2018/19, there was one win each in Group A of the UEFA Europa league: FC Zürich won 3-2 at home and the Werkself secured a 1-0 victory in the return match.
Information on ticket sales will be available nearer the time on Bayer 04 club channels.
The winter timetable for the Alonso team is as follows: After the #Bayer04USATour to St. Louis from 13 to 18 November, the Werkself now have time off up to 30 November. Lukas Hradecky and Co. will then return to training in Leverkusen from 1 to 18 December. On 10 December there is a friendly away to Scottish record champions Rangers in Glasgow with the friendly against FC Zürich the last match in 2022 for Bayer 04.
The Werkself players will have time off over the festive period before returning on 3 January 2023 for the final preparations ahead of competitive matches in the New Year.

Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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