Kyriakos, you return to your old stomping ground the BayArena on Sunday. How does it feel?
Kyriakos Papadopoulos: I always enjoyed a really good relationship with Bayer 04. It's great there were no problems between Leverkusen and myself when I signed for HSV. I have happy memories of my time at Bayer 04.
Are you still in contact with Bayer 04?
Papadopoulos: I had two great years at Leverkusen and I'm looking forward to meeting up with my old team-mates. The people in and around the club all do a great job. I also have regular contact with a lot of my former team-mates.
What was your best moment in a Werkself shirt?
Papadopoulos: I particularly remember the games in the Champions League. Above all, I'll never forget the match in Barcelona. We were unlucky to lose 2-1 but we took the lead with a header of mind. The atmosphere at the Camp Nou was very special.
The Werkself have recently signed a fellow countrymen of yours in Panos Retsos. He said he spoke to you about Bayer 04. Why is Bayer 04 a good club for him?
Papadopoulos: Panos is a young, very talented player who wants to take the next step in his development. I told him the Bundesliga is the ideal place for that. Bayer 04 have shown over the last few years that they can develop young players and give them the necessary match practice.
What's your assessment of the start of the season for Hamburg SV?
Papadopoulos: We started the season well with two wins but then didn't play well against Hannover. But the team’s in good shape. We put on a good display in the games against Leipzig and Dortmund in spite of the defeats. We're in positive mood going forward.
What sort of game are you expecting at the BayArena on Sunday?
Papadopoulos: There were a lot of changes at Bayer 04 in the summer and the team hasn't got off to the best start in the new season so they will definitely be looking to win at home. We also want to get a result in Leverkusen. We can do that if we play like we did in the last games against Augsburg, Köln, Leipzig and Dortmund.
There won’t just be plenty of excitement on the pitch as Bayer 04 host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena at 18:30 CET on Saturday. Outside the stadium there will be collection points for food donations to the Leverkusen Foodbank, which will also benefit from the profits of a jersey raffle in the Fanwelt afterwards. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off following the passing of long-time Werkself player Dieter Herzog, before two fan clubs are honoured for their decades-long support at half-time and fans receive a talk about Orange Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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Bayer 04 go into the first of two successive clashes with Borussia Dortmund boosted by their Champions League win at Manchester City. Ahead of the Bundesliga top match on Saturday, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the tight schedule, BVB's strengths and returning squad members.
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Borussia Dortmund are doing very well in terms of points and results in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. BVB have only suffered two defeats to date this term. Now coach Niko Kovac's team are away to the Werkself on Saturday night, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET) in the top match on Bundesliga matchday 12. The two teams meet again three days later in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie in Dortmund. Two very competitive encounters are on the cards. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Bayer 04 Women clcoked up a 3-2 win in a friendly against Twente Enschede on Thursday afternoon in the last international break of 2025. In drizzle, Lilla Turanyi (16’), Kristin Kögel (65’) and Paulina Bartz (69’) scored the goals for the Werkself against the Dutch Eredivisie Vrouwen leaders, who are still unbeaten in the league.
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