The decline in fortune was turned round in record time. Hannover 96 ended the 2015/16 season bottom of the Bundesliga that meant relegation to the second division after 14 seasons in the top flight. Following immediate promotion, the Reds are back to where they spent most of the past 14 years – mid-table in the Bundesliga. After six wins and six defeats, Hannover are tenth in the league. A position that people in the Lower Saxony state capital can be very happy with – above all favoured by an impressive record in the second 45 minutes of games this term. Hannover have netted 16 of their 20 goals this season in the second half and that represents the best return of any of the teams in the league after the restart.
Not only are Hannover 96 back but so is André Breitenreiter – and that in two senses. In May 2016, when Hanover were relegated from the Bundesliga, Breitenreiter was forced to bow out as coach at Schalke 04 in spite of finishing fifth in the Bundesliga. In March of this year, the head coach returned to the club of his youth Hannover 96 where he led the team back to Germany's top flight with a run of 16 games without defeat after he took over the helm. Breitenreiter often varies his line-up according to the opponents and match situation, and has his team capable of playing different systems – of course, not without indispensable mainstays such as key player Salif Sané (pictured above) in central defence and the striking duo of Martin Harnik and Niklas Füllkrug, who have scored 10 of the 20 goals this season. A good return that is also badly needed as the Brazilian Jonathas, brought in as a new goal-getter in the summer, has been sidelined for weeks and is only expected to be an option for Breitenreiter in the second half of the season. For one of the other key players in the Hannover line-up, Sunday's game represents an encounter with the past: Playmaker Pirmin Schwegler made his Bundesliga debut in a Bayer 04 shirt and went on to make 60 appearances for Leverkusen between 2006 and 2009. The Swiss midfielder joined Hannover 96 in the summer and is available for the match against the Werkself after serving a one-match ban.
Schwegler often has to act on his own as the distributor in midfield as the regular captain Edgar Prib has missed most of the season with a torn cruciate. This is not the only position where Breitenreiter is lacking alternatives when established players are sidelined. Both in central defence and in attack it is currently scarcely possible to compensate for absentees. One reason why the coach has recently called for new signings in the winter break: "We are missing people. We need to have competition for places and that means bringing in new players." It could well be that the management led by general manager Horst Heldt will be on the lookout for a creative player in attacking midfield.
However happy Hannover 96 supporters are with the team's performances on the pitch at the moment, some of them are concerned about the future of the club. President Martin Kind is looking to make use of an exemption from the 50+1 rule and acquire a majority of the votes at Hannover 96. The development has been criticised by certain sections of the fans but it could have a successful impact in terms of sporting success. By taking over the club, Kind is looking to open the way for potential investors to make the club more competitive and make full use of future potential. Whether his plans succeed and leads to desired success will be closely watched by all football fans in Germany.
As a newly promoted club, Hannover 96 will do well to focus completely on staying up. The team have established a solid base in the first half of the season and are already seven points ahead of the play-off position. If Harnik, Sané & Co. continue to perform as consistently in the second half of the season then the team from Lower Saxony will probably return to the position at the end of this campaign where they were before relegation. Ten of the fourteen seasons between 2002 and 2016 ended with the Reds between positions seven and thirteen in the table. That appears to be realistic again this season and it would make everybody involved in the Lower Saxony capital happy.
After being nominated for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025, Martin Terrier's wonderful strike for the opener against FC Köln is now also up for selection for the ARD Sportschau Goal of the Month award for December 2025. Bayer 04 fans have until 19:00 CET on 10 January to vote for the French forward.
Show more
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show more
"In every ending lies a new beginning" is a well-known saying. This phrase has probably never been more apt at Bayer 04. After winning the Bundesliga in 2023/24 and finishing as runners-up in 2024/25, the summer was the most eventful ever in terms of transfers. Over ten players and the coach, including the coaching staff, left the club. A lot of the heroes of the double-winning side began a new chapter. It was the end of an era. And at the same time the beginning of a new, very exciting and promising chapter for Leverkusen. The Werkself welcomed more than a dozen new arrivals, including experienced title-winners and young talents, to build a new "foundation for a successful team capable of winning titles" under the Bayer Cross, as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. A new spirit, a new hunger, a new story was to be created. Bayer04.de looks back at the first few months of this story and the final act of the preseason.
Show more
43 points at the end of the last Bundesliga season were not only more than ever before for the Bayer 04 Women, but also led to a record fourth-place finish. That was followed by a Hinrunde with many more victories, but also some setbacks. In an interview with bayer04.de, sporting director Achim Feifel takes stock at the end of the year.
Show more
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
Show more
