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.
Bayer 04 are away to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb on Matchday 5 of the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off on Thursday 26 November at 18:45 CET at the Maksimir Stadium. All the information on ticket sales.
Show more
It wasn’t just on the pitch that there was cause for celebration around the Werkself’s 2–1 home win against SC Freiburg. Plenty of happy faces could be seen near the dugouts at half-time too. Once again, CEO Fernando Carro, alongside former striker and club ambassador Stefan Kießling, paid tribute to eight supporters’ clubs celebrating up to their 30th anniversary on behalf of Bayer 04.
Show more
He’s done it: Patrik Schick also found the back of the net in Bayer 04’s 2–1 win over SC Freiburg on Matchday six of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season – a club record! In what was a high-quality match from the word go, the Werkself were briefly rattled by the visitors’ opener from Derry Scherhant in the 14th minute but fought back with an equaliser from Ibrahim Maza just six minutes later. In the second half, the Black and Reds took control on their home turf and secured a well-earned win through record-holder Schick. In doing do, the Werkself inflicted the first defeat of the season on the club from the Black Forest.
Show more
It was a match that will live long in the memory of everyone involved: The Bayer 04 U19s celebrated their seventh win in seven matches in the DFB Youth League preliminary round – and yet it was a very special victory indeed: in the 4–3 (1–1) win at VfL Bochum 1848, no fewer than five goals came in the final quarter of an hour. As the 90th minute approached, coach Patrick Greveraars’s side found themselves behind, but then fought back in true ‘Laterkusen’ style.
Show more
Under Carles Martínez, the Werkself have so far proved unbeatable at the BayArena. The Spaniard has led his team to victory in all three of their most recent home matches – and, it's worth noting, without conceding a single goal. On Sunday, 18 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST / live on DAZN and Werkself Radio), current league leaders SC Freiburg will make the trip to Leverkusen, but will be without their top scorer. What's more, the Werkself have won all three of their previous home matches against the Black Forest club. With a goal, Patrik Schick could not only secure a fourth consecutive victory but also set a memorable record. Meanwhile, on what will be the ‘Health Day' at the BayArena, much of the focus will be on physical wellbeing. Today's matchday news.
Show more
