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!
The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
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The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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The Bundesliga is back. On Saturday 29 August (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to SV 07 Elversberg on matchday 1 of the new season. Ahead of the clash at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the importance of a successful start and the motivation of the league newcomers from the Saarland.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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