The Werkself have won three of the 14 games against the team from Saxony with the other fixtures resulting in four draws and seven defeats. The last victory was in April of this year in a 2-0 win at the BayArena. There is another first today: This is the first time that Bayer 04 and RB Leipzig have met on Bundesliga matchday one.
Germany coach Hansi Flick will be watching the first Werkself Bundesliga fixture of the new season at the ground. The 58-year-old announced he would watch the top match at the BayArena and Flick – alongside Rudi Völler – was at the opening game of the season yesterday between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich (0-4).
The first international break of the new season comes in three weeks time: Germany play Japan in Wolfsburg on Saturday 9 September and that is followed three days later by a match against France in Dortmund.
There will be a very special tribute under the eyes of Flick during half-time: Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, together with Thomas Eichin (Director of licenced teams), will celebrate the achievements of the Leverkusen U17 Women. The team led by coach Alexander Vukicevic were crowned Germany U17 champions in June.
At the express request of numerous supporters from amongst the Leverkusen fan clubs, Bayer 04 have launched a Family block at the BayArena for the start of the season. This EVLfamily stand, located in the lower tier (Block A1 to A3), harks back to the early 2000s where there was a 'Family Street' and an 'Action Park'. The youngest fans can not only look forward to tickets at five euros each but also lots of participation events in the block, visits from ‘Brian the Lion’ plus a kids menu. The family block is completely sold out for today's home game against RB Leipzig. All the other home sections are also sold out.
In cooperation with the advice centre against sexualised violence Frauennotruf Leverkusen, the Bayer 04 fan liaison team and the Leverkusen fan project, the BayArena will this season once again provide the stage for the offer of support 'Luisa is here!' for people affected by sexual harassment at the stadium.
With rail cancellations at Leverkusen Mitte station there will again be challenges with travel to and from the game. Information on replacement buses is published and constantly updated on the Deutsche Bahn website.
Anyone wanting to read key information before the game should take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday programme, offering in compact form the most important facts and stats on the game, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively it is available free online. Click HERE for e-paper.
Lots of departures, numerous new signings – and a trophy. In Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku and Konrad Laimer, RB Leipzig had to give up four aces this summer. Nevertheless, the club from Saxony appear to have found excellent replacements on the transfer market: Lois Openda, Benjamin Sesko, Nicolas Seiwald, Xavi Simons and others have been signed up. The fact all looks good for the Saxons after the squad revamp was evident last weekend with the 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the DFL Supercup. Further information on RB Leipzig is is available in our lowdown on the next opponents.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed the experienced referee Dr Felix Brych for the game against the Red Bulls. For the 48-year-old match official this will be game number 44 involving the Werkself (24 wins, seven draws, 13 defeats). Brych will be assisted by Thorben Siewer and Robert Wessel on the touchlines with Günter Per in action as the VAR.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Cedric Pick und Niko Hartmann. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app – just log on.
Bayern Munich come to the BayArena this Saturday with an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga as they look to take a step closer to the title. As imperious as they may seem, a weakness has emerged of late that the Werkself proved they can exploit in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League. Leverkusen are also looking to make it four Bundesliga home games unbeaten against the Bavarians. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the 15:30 CET kick-off in our matchday news.
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Another home game, another top opponent - another marker? Three days after their convincing performance in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, Bayer 04 continue their Bundesliga campaign with an equally high-calibre fixture. Matchday 26 sees league leaders Bayern Munich visit the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about a comparison between Arsenal and the Bavarians, Bayern's high-scoring performance in Europe's premier club competition and a return to the squad for one Werkself player.
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High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
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The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
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They're well on their way to becoming German champions for the 35th time and once again proved their incredible class in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. This Saturday, 14 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET), Bayern Munich will be the visitors to the BayArena. It'll be a meeting of the two Bundesliga teams with the most dominant styles of play. A look at our opponents shows the visitors from the Bavarian capital have many strengths - but are also vulnerable.
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