#B04WOB - Countdown to kick-off

FamilY MATCHDAY

Bayer 04  opted to make the game against Wolfsburg another Family matchday -  Werkself fans have a fifth opportunity to get tickets at much reduced prices: Children up to the age of 14 pay just one euro for a match ticket. Anybody purchasing at least one children's ticket is entitled to buy concession tickets for ten euros and full-priced are just 15 euros. The Family Day is sponsored by Bayer 04 health partner pronova BKK. In addition to reduced admission prices, supporters can also look forward to other offers and events. And good weather is predicted.

UNBEATEN AT HOME

Football fans young and old are welcome at the BayArena - and not just on Sunday. A word of warning for Wolfsburg supporters: Visiting teams and their fans have not had much to shout about at Leverkusen this term. TSG Hoffenheim are the only team to take any points with a 2-2 draw. The Werkself clocked up comfortable wins in the last two home games against Freiburg (4-0) and Hamburg (3-0). A third home win on the bounce beckons against  VfL Wolfsburg – Bayer 04 last achieved that between March and September 2016 (with six wins in succession). Moreover: A look at the stats suggests there might very well be goals in the offing. The Werkself have scored three or more goals against the Wolves in six of the last seven home games.

only one Wolfsburg win at Leverkusen

The record in this fixture favours the Werkself. Leverkusen and Wolfsburg have met 40 times in the Bundesliga. The Werkself have 19 wins, six draws and 15 defeats. VfL certainly do not appear to flourish in the Leverkusen air: They have lost 14 of the 20 away games at Leverkusen (five draws). The only win to date for the Wolves was in February 2015 with a 5-4 victory.

Bernd Leno Ahead of record win

It didn't happen two weeks ago at Schalke. So Sunday could be a special day for Germany goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The 25-year-old has made 207 appearances for Bayer 04 in the top flight since 2011. The Werkself shot-stopper is set to celebrate Bundesliga win number 100 for the club against Wolfsburg. And that at the age of 25 and 225 days– the only player to achieve that at an earlier age for Leverkusen is Borussia Dortmund player Gonzalo Castro (25 years, 167 days).

Werkself attack looking good

The Werkself number one has already picked the ball out of his own net eleven times this season. Above all, the six goals conceded from set pieces have been hard to take. It's better to look at the other end of the pitch: Bayer 04 have had 111 shots on goal in the first seven games of the season with only Dortmund (128), FC Bayern (125) and Leipzig (124) having more. The 13 goals scored this season are a positive for Herrlich's team. Moreover: Nine Bayer 04 players have scored for the club so far in the current campaign – that is not only the highest number in the league (along with Dortmund), but it also demonstrates the threat on goal posed by different positions in the Leverkusen line-up.

Herrlich's past

Heiko Herrlich also has good memories of playing VfL Wolfsburg. In 1995, the current Bayer 04 head coach won the DFB Cup for the second time as a player, having won the title two years before with the Werkself. In the 1995 final, Herrlich was in the Foals team that beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-0; he provided the assist fir the third goal. And during his time as a coach at Jahn Regensburg, Herrlich faced the Wolves second team in the play-off games to get promoted to the third division – A 1-0 defeat in the first leg at Wolfsburg was followed by a 2-0 win in Regensburg, which led to promotion.

Einfach Fußball cup  in the morning

Sunday is not just a day for professional football. Close to the BayArena, at the Kurtekotten Academy, is the venue for the seventh Einfach Fußball Cup, which was launched in 2011. This is a special tournament for disabled children's and youth teams. The event is part of the Einfach Fußball support programme organised by Bayer AG and the DFB and it has proved to be a complete success in recent years. That run should continue on Sunday...