The Werkself LIVE matchday magazine for the game against the team next to bottom in the Bundesliga will be available at the stadium – it is also online now. This season’s new Bayer 04 programme is full of stats and facts on the match between the Werkself and the team under head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. On the reverse side there is a poster of Timothy Fosu-Mensah. HERE is the e-paper.
The German Football Association (DFB) have appointed Dr Felix Brych as the match referee. The 46-year-old match official from Munich has previously been in charge of 39 games involving the Werkself, 38 in the Bundesliga and one in the DFB Cup – with 22 wins, five draws and twelve defeats for the Black and Reds. Dr Brych has shown 57 yellow and three red cards in those games. His assistants are Marcel Unger and Thomas Gorniak, Günter Perl is the VAR referee. Have a good game.
Based on the current coronavirus protection order of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, 10,000 spectators are permitted to attend the match at the BayArena but there is no standing section. Spectators must wear a medical grade face mask, including at their own seat, for the duration of their visit. The 2G plus rule also applies.
The Werkself have only lost one of the last 19 Bundesliga fixtures against today's visitors from Baden-Württemberg (14 wins, four draws): a 1-0 home defeat in April 2018. That was also the only clean sheet for Stuttgart in the last 24 league matches against the Black and Reds. Also worth mentioning: Bayer 04 have beaten VfB 38 times in the Bundesliga – more than any other team. Another plus: The Werkself have only scored more goals in matches against Borussia Mönchengladbach (152) than against the team with the hooped shirt (142).
On today's matchday, Bayer 04 congratulate three former Werkself players on their birthdays – including the player with the most appearances: Rüdiger Vollborn celebrates his 59th birthday. He joined Bayer 04 from his home town of Berlin in 1981 and went on to make 401 league appearances in goal for the Black and Reds – no other player has surpassed that number of games to date. Vollborn is also the only player to win the UEFA Cup (in 1988) and the DFB Cup (in 1993) with the Werkself. After hanging up his boots, he went on to be the goalkeeping coach and now for many years he has worked as the fan liaison officer and club archivist at Bayer 04. For the past year, Vollborn has brought the history of the Werkself closer to the fans with his regular contribution of ‘Rudi recounts…’. Many happy returns, Rudi!
The other two birthday boys played for Werkself youth teams: Kolja Pusch (2005 to 2013), now 29 years old, plus the recently 30-year-old Tobias Haitz (2007 to 2013). While Pusch is now playing for MSV Duisburg in the third division, Haitz ended his playing career in the summer of 2018. Many happy returns to both of you.
Die zwei weiteren Geburtstagskinder liefen derweil in ihrer Jugend für den Werksklub auf: Kolja Pusch (2005 bis 2013), nun 29 Jahre alt, sowie der neuerdings 30-jährige Tobias Haitz (2007 bis 2013). Während Pusch mittlerweile für den Drittligisten MSV Duisburg am Ball ist, hat Haitz seine Laufbahn im Sommer 2018 beendet. Herzlichen Glückwunsch auch an euch beide!
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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