FIFA referee Felix Zwayer has been in charge of 23 Bayer 04 games since 2009. On Tuesday night, 19 January, the Berliner will start match number 24 at 20.30 CET when the Werkself take on Borussia Dortmund. The team under Peter Bosz would like to clock up a second home win in succession against Borussia following the spectacular 4-3 win in February 2020.
In the previous matches refereed by the 39-year-old, the Werkself have secured 12 wins (5 draws, 6 defeats). Zwayer has shown the Black and Reds 41 yellow cards and one red against former Leverkusen player Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
On Monday, Bosz was not the only one to talk about the clash with BVB (SEE the report here). His opposite number Edin Terzic also faced questions from journalists in Dortmund. The 38-year-old, who took over the helm from Lucien Favre in the middle of December, shared his views on the Werkself: “They didn’t have an easy start and lost both of their top goalscorers before the start of the season but they are having a very good first half of the campaign. It will be a tough challenge but we’re looking forward to it.”
Terzic will have to manage without Dan-Axel Zagadou at Leverkusen. The central defender suffered a torn thigh muscle, explained the head coach. And the holding midfielder Axel Witsel (torn Achilles) and Emre Can are also sidelined. The former Leverkusen player is serving a one-match ban. Also ruled out through injury are Marcel Schmelzer and Thorgan Hazard. HERE is the lowdown on our next opponents.
The German Football League (DFL) will continue their support for young youth athletes in the coming year. As announced by the league association this week, the partnership with Deutsche Sporthilfe has been extended to 2025 at least. A total of 850 talented youngsters from over 50 different sports have already received support under the auspices of elite youth development.
Reinforcement for the Bayer 04 U17s : The South Korean Ingyom Jung joins the Werkself with immediate effect from the youth section at Fortuna Düsseldorf. The winger played for Düsseldorf in all the games in the disrupted season in the U17 Bundesliga West. Jung will join his new teammates on Tuesday following the obligatory coronavirus test.
The long-serving Bayer 04 official Jonas Boldt is 39 on Tuesday. Born in Nuremberg, he started working at Leverkusen as a scout in January 2007. Boldt went on to be an assistant to the management board, head of the scouting department, general manager and finally sporting director. In the summer of 2019 he joined second division Hamburg SV. Boldt has since been working in Hamburg as sporting managing director. HSV beat VfL Osnabrück 5-0 on Monday night in a second division game and continue on course for promotion as league leaders. That helps make the big day easier to enjoy. Happy birthday, Jonas!
Also a year older on Tuesday is the former Werkself player Jürgen Gelsdorf. Signed from Arminia Bielefeld in 1976, the central defender spent the next ten years at Leverkusen until he retired as a player. Gelsdorf was a member of the team that won promotion in 1979.
After hanging up his boots, Duisburg-born Gelsdorf stayed at Bayer 04 as a coach, initially in charge of the youth team, later he was assistant to Rinus Michels and finally head coach of the Werkself (1989 to 1991). After being at other clubs, Gelsdorf returned in 2007 as head of the football department at TSV Bayer 04. He also looks after the needs of the Veterans team. He celebrates his 68th birthday on Tuesday. Many happy returns, Jürgen.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against TSG Hoffenheim on the 19th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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The Bayer 04 Women suffered a setback in the race for third place in the Bundesliga table. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team lost 1-0 at home to direct rivals TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday afternoon, with a penalty after two minutes deciding the match. With 32 points and a game in hand, TSG have moved above the Werkself, who remain on 31 points. There is now a three-week international break before the remaining seven Bundesliga matches.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without defender Loïc Badé for the time being. The Frenchman suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh in Saturday’s 1-0 Bundesliga defeat at FC Union Berlin. The diagnosis was the result of an MRI scan this Sunday morning.
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It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
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