
The Werkself coach Roger Schmidt is well aware of the task ahead: “We need to be on our best form. We have every chance of winning the game at our own ground with our fans behind us – and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
The Werkself head coach recognises the opposition have been though a busy transfer window: “BVB brought in top players after the departure of Hummels, Gündogan and Mkhitaryan. Götze and Schürrle, Guerreiro, Dembelé and Mor are all very impressive new signings and it means Borussia’s attacking game is now even more adaptable.”
Talking about the high-scoring start to the season for Borussia, Schmidt said: “They look really solid and nothing like a team trying to gel.” Therefore, the boss is calling on his players to be “fully focussed and keep the ball far away from our own net. BVB have some very quick forwards. It’s good that we’ve got fast defenders in our ranks.”
It remains to be seen whether the Bayer 04 captain Lars Bender, who picked up a painful flesh wound in the Champions League match at Monaco, and vice-captain Ömer Toprak (bruised knee) will be fit to play. Schmidt: “I can’t give the green light for either of them and we’ll decide if they’re able to play against Dortmund after the final pre-match training session.”
Fan update:
The BayArena is sold out and Bayer 04 would like to point out that rucksacks and large bags are not permitted in the BayArena.


The Werkself welcome FC Augsburg to the BayArena on Bundesliga matchday 30 in the 2025/26 season. The match on Saturday, 18 April kicks off at 15:30 CEST. Bayer 04 have organised a family matchday with exclusive offers for parents and children. Information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself host VfL Wolfsburg at the BayArena on matchday 28 in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The match is on Saturday, 4 April, with the kick-off at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The exact timings for the 2025/26 DFB Pokal semi-finals have been finalised. Bayer 04's home tie against Bayern Munich will be played on Wednesday, 22 April, at 20:45 CEST. This was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) this Monday morning.
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It was the end of the road for the #B04eSports team against SC Freiburg. Marc and Sean Landwehr were narrowly defeated by the top favourites in the quarter-finals of the VBL Club Championship Final 2025/26. After a success in the first 1v1 game (4-2) and a subsequent defeat (0-4), the overall goals tally ultimately decided who progressed to the semi-finals in the clash against the league leaders from the previous phase.
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