Our next opponents are often referred to as the Foals. Gladbach earned the nickname during the glory years in the 1970s because of the young average age of their team. It is no secret that Bayer 04 also place great emphasis on youth. In last weekend's 2-2 draw with VFL Wolfsburg the average age of the starting eleven was just 23 years and 339 days – RB Leipzig are the only team to have had a younger line-up this season. And: The average age was further reduced during the game with the introduction of Kai Havertz (18) and Joel Pohjanpalo (23) from the subs bench.
Bayer 04 are five points behind the rivals from the Rhine. That makes Borussia the favourites on Saturday. The record between the two clubs reveals Bayer 04 are on top: In the previous 70 meetings in Germany's top-flight the Werkself have won 25 times and the Foals 19. The most common outcome (26 times) in this fixture is the two sides sharing the points. The Werkself have only recorded more draws with Werder Bremen (29).
The Werkself have scored in all of the last 13 Bundesliga matches. That's the longest run of goals for any current Bundesliga team. Extending this run of goals would undoubtedly increase the chances of getting a result on the Lower Rhine following on from the draw at Schalke. Bayer 04 clocked up more games in succession with goals scored between February and September 2016 (15 matches).
The Werkself have shown in recent games that they can play football – Heiko Herrlich's team have celebrated scoring 15 times in the Bundesliga this season. Only Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern have netted more often this term. The Werkself stand a good chance of extending that total in Mönchengladbach. Bayer 04 have scored at least one goal in 23 of the last 24 Bundesliga fixtures against Borussia with the last blank coming in a 3-0 away defeat in May 2015. Moreover: With a total of 130 goals, the Werkself have not scored more often in the Bundesliga than against Gladbach.
In the 2-2 draw against Wolfsburg, Julian Baumgartlinger came on in place of Bayer 04 captain Lars Bender on 70 minutes and now he is on the verge of making his 150th Bundesliga appearance. Since signing in the summer of last year, the 29-year-old has played 25 games for the Werkself. Most of his appearances (124) came during his time at Mainz 05.
Midfielder Christoph Kramer and the currently injured striker Josip Drmic are two players in the Gladbach squad who used to play for the Werkself. Heiko Herrlich also spent time at our next opponents. The current head coach at Bayer 04 moved from Leverkusen to Mönchengladbach in 1993 and in the 1994/95 season he was the league's highest scorer (along with Mario Basler) with 20 goals to his credit and he later went on to win the DFB Cup. The striker played for Borussia for two years scoring 28 goals in 55 Bundesliga appearances. As a coach, Herrlich meets up with his former club for a second time: The first meeting was in January 2010 with VfL Bochum in a Bundesliga fixture at Gladbach that ended in a 2-1 victory for his team. It would be good if the next win comes on Saturday - It would be the first victory on the road for Bayer 04 this season.
With seven points, Mainz 05 are currently joint seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Bayer 04. In today’s head-to-head clash (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself must be particularly wary of the clinical Mainz strike duo. For Leverkusen fans who have left it to the last minute, there are still a few tickets available from the matchday ticket office. Those following the Black and Reds from home, on the other hand, have a choice: RTL is broadcasting the match on free-to-air TV, and Werkself Radio is also offering the expert commentary of former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz. Today’s matchday news.
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Back from the international break: On Saturday 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to Mainz 05. Ahead of the clash at the MEWA ARENA against the side currently sixth in the table, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the team’s work during the extended international break. The Spaniard also commented, when asked, on a number of squad matters, including Ibrahim Maza.
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FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Thomas Eichin has been working for Bayer 04 for six years – as Director of Professional Teams since July 2023 – and has contributed to the successful development of our club in many areas. Today, Friday 9 October, Freiburg-born Eichin is celebrating his 60th birthday. We wish him a very happy birthday.
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Together with his family, friends and close associates, Bayer 04 Leverkusen bid farewell to Peter Hermann. The club’s long-serving assistant manager passed away on 19 September following a serious illness. Today, Thursday 8 October, Bayer 04 held an event attended by around 200 invited guests to commemorate Peter Hermann’s legacy. Representatives from the DFB and the other professional clubs where Hermann worked paid their respects to him at the BayArena.
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