"We’re ready and looking forward to the first game in the league," said Werkself head coach Peter Bosz at the pre-match press conference held at the media centre at the BayArena on Friday afternoon. The opposition is also a reason. "I followed them last season in the second division: They play on the front foot and the coach is very courageous – I like that," said Bosz in praising the freewheeling playing philosophy of SC Paderborn, whose coach Steffen Baumgart he played alongside at Hansa Rostock from January to July 1998. Given the attacking style of play of the two teams, the 55-year-old sees a good chance that "tomorrow's game won't end in a goalless draw" and he believes the spectators will be entertained.
The Dutchman will have to manage without Joel Pohjanpalo (ankle) and Mitchell Weiser against the second division runners-up. The 25-year-old who scored his first Bundesliga goal against Paderborn four and a half years ago, suffered a bruised foot in the pre-season and only started individual training at the start of the week following a three-week stint on the sidelines. The rest of the squad took part in full training according to Bosz who is looking to start the Bundesliga campaign with a win after the previous three opening fixtures in the league ended in defeat.
In 2015/16 the Werkself last started the season with a win in a 2-1 victory over TSG Hoffenheim. "It's always very important to get a start like that – you want to win the game to feel good. So it will be important we are fully focused tomorrow," demanded Bosz who has been working on fine tuning the Werkself over the course of the week. "We saw in the Cup game against Aachen that we’re on the right track but we have to improve. And I hope that's the case against Paderborn."
The record against the Sport Club from East Westphalia-Lippe, founded in 1907, looks good up to now: Bayer 04 and SCP have only met twice before – in the first season Paderborn were in the Bundesliga: a 2-2 draw at the BayArena followed a 3-0 away win at the Benteler Arena. To make sure that continues and hopefully to mark a successful start to the season, the fan groups have come up with something special for the start of the season. At 13.30 CET, when the Werkself arrive in the team bus along Bismarckstraße ( by the 'Stadioneck'), Lars Bender, Kevin Volland and Co. will be greeted with an emotional, black and red reception. "We can't do without the fans – there were lots of them in Aachen and last season we saw that we need them. Support is very important – it can make the difference you need to win a game," said Bosz impressed by the event.
Tickets are available on the day the Paderborn game that will also see Rüdiger Vollborn and Stefan Kießling named Bayer 04 honorary captains.
Latest match info
Weather forecast: 21 degrees, cloudy
Referee: Tobias Stieler
Live on Werks11-Radio: bayer04.de
Live TV broadcaster: Sky Sport
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
The ‘year after’ the most successful year in the club's history brought many changes at Bayer 04. In an exclusive double interview with bayer04.de shortly before the Christmas break, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes spoke about building a new team capable of winning trophies, the work of coach Kasper Hjulmand, the young new signings who have quickly developed into key players, and their personal plans for the Christmas holidays. Their outlook for the coming year also shows that the potential is far from exhausted and ambitions remain high.
Show more
Last-minute ecstasy, huge disappointment and a historic performance on the European stage - 2025 was a real emotional roller coaster, especially for the U19s. A rousing run in the knockout phase secured the team a place in the final of the German championships, where they lost by the narrowest of margins. Despite the departure of several key players, the young Werkself team quickly regained their usual strength and qualified for the knockout rounds in the UEFA Youth League for the first time at the end of the year. In 2025, youngsters Jeremiah Mensah and Montrell Culbreath made their debuts in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. The other youth teams also contributed great performances and a number of trophies to the collective Black and Red success, while the successful Bayer 04 Future Kids project broke new ground. Read on for the 2025 review of the youth teams.
Show more
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
Show more
A memorable 12 months: 2025 was a year marked by success, intense competition and groundbreaking innovations for the #B04eSports team. After ending the 2024/25 season as runners-up, the Leverkusen-based console pros got down to business in a new, completely restructured season model, in which showdowns rather than divisions were the decisive factor on the road to the final round of the German Club Championship. Bayer 04 quickly earned a place in the history books of the most prestigious competition in German eSports and secured some valuable advantages for the coming year. Bayer04.de takes a look back at 12 months full of passion and the determination to take the next step.
Show more
