The match kicks off at 15.30 CET with referee Günter Perl from Pullach in charge of proceedings.
All square in the record books
Mainz and Leverkusen have met 20 times in the Bundesliga and the record could not be more equal: In addition to four draws, each team has won eight games. Only Freiburg and Nürnberg have also beaten Mainz eight times in the top-flight.
Lead proves decisive
Whenever the Werkself take the lead in games between M05 and B04 the points are almost as good a secured: In the 20 Bundesliga games between the two clubs the Werkself have led 10 times with those matches ending in eight victories and two draws.
Mainz on their marks
For the first time under coach Martin Schmidt Mainz 05 have not won in five competitive games at home (one defeat plus four draws).
On the verge of a hat-trick?
Bayer 04 are in a position to suffer three competitive defeats on the road in succession for the first time in four and a half years - the last time that happened was in March 2012 in the final three away games under coach Robin Dutt.
Brandt's impressive record
Julian Brandt has been directly involved in ten goals in his last eleven Bundesliga outings (six goals, four assists). In 2015/16 the Werkself won all nine league games where the Germany international found the back of the net.
Chicha likes to score against Mainz
Chicharito scored home and away against Mainz last season. The team from Rhine-Hesse could be the first Bundesliga side to concede three times to the Mexican in succession.
The man for the last 15 minutes
Joel Pohjanpalo has scored all four of his Bundesliga goals in the final 15 minutes of games (to be more exact from the 79th minute). No club in the Bundesliga have scored more goals in the last 15 minutes in the 2016/17 season than Bayer 04.
Four made the switch
Julian Baumgartlinger joined Bayer 04 in the summer after five years at Mainz. The Austrian, who was the FSV captain last season, played 124 Bundesliga games for Mainz scoring two goals and providing four assists along the way. Levin Öztunali (15 Bundesliga games for Bayer 04) and André Ramalho (19 Bundesliga games for the Werkself) went the opposite way in the summer. The former Leverkusen defender Giulio Donati (43 Bundesliga games for Bayer 04) joined FSV in January 2015.
LIVE action via the LIVE app
The Bayer 04 LIVE APP, recently nominated one of the most innovative apps on a popular App blog, will be packed full of exclusive information (in German) on Bayer 04 on Saturday. You can download it now to keep up-to-date with the action at Werkself while you are on the move.>> bit.ly/b04live .The social networks will be busy at #M05B04.
Get on the bus in Mainz
The new Bayer 04 bus, unveiled two weeks ago, is a new meeting point for Werkself fans. On Saturday the red double-decker bus will be in Mainz serving as a fan shop and information point for the Bayer 04 Club.
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
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Two Saturdays, one Friday and one Sunday: The dates for the Bayer 04 Women's team games on matchdays 16 to 19 have been finalised. Three of the four matches scheduled by the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday will be played at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
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Bayer 04 currently have a number of promising young talents on loan to various clubs in Europe with the aim of gaining match practice and furthering their individual development. Francis Onyeka and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht, for example, play for VfL Bochum 1848, while Artem Stepanov is a striker with 1. FC Nürnberg, coached by World Cup winner Miroslav Klose. Tim Oermann is a defender in the Austrian Bundesliga at top club SK Sturm Graz and Abdoulaye Faye is playing in France for FC Lorient, promoted to Ligue 1 this season. Bayer04.de reviews the first six months for the Leverkusen players out on loan.
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