The Kölner Stadt Anzeiger writes under the headline: 'Still flying high':"When it went dark, fluorescent lights, which had been placed on the seats or on the terrace for the fans, flickered around the BayArena. The performance of the Werkself in the last home game of the year was not quite so spectacular. However, they continued their rise to the top spots in the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win against Werder Bremen although there was an unnecessary scare at the end. But that is a new quality of Bayer 04: One goal is enough if required. That was the twelfth game unbeaten in succession across all competitions." Leon Bailey was named the man of the match: "Of course, the man for the special moment in Leverkusen's game did it once again. The assist for the goal to make it 1-0 was again a mix of high pace and precision that few players possess."
The Kölnische Rundschau headline "Clever Werkself" refers to the coming year: "Bayer Leverkusen have continued their impressive run and are now in a Champions League place. Thanks to the 1-0 win against Werder Bremen, the Werkself are unbeaten for the eleventh time in succession on Bundesliga matchday 16 and have moved up to fourth place. If Bayer, with Lucas Alario scoring the winner on 11 minutes, win in the final matchday of the year at Hannover 96 then the opening match of the second half of the season against league leaders Bayern Munich on 12 January should be a real cracker."
The Kicker observes: "Bayer 04 are back in a Champions League position for the first time in 18 months after the Werkself were 17th in the table after three games. The climb up the league continues." And the specialist magazine also emphasises the successful rotation performed by Heiko Herrlich: "Lucas Alario, who is only been in the starting eleven once in the last six games, scored the only goal of the game. In addition to the introduction of the €19 million signing, Heiko Herrlich made three changes from the side that won 2-0 at Stuttgart. The fact the Werkself coach regularly changes his line-up is now readily accepted in Leverkusen... "So the Herrlich rotation moves Bayer up the league. And not just because Alario scored. Julian Baumgartlinger was also impressive in the holding midfield role against Werder."
The Bild Zeitung has even made the exact calculation: "Back in a Champions League spot after 579 days: Alario wins it for Bayer. The long drought is over!"
The Express writes: "The Werkself are unstoppable – even against bogey teams. Heiko Herrlich (46) and his team remain unbeaten for the eleventh game in succession after a 1-0 win against Werder Bremen. The victory takes Leverkusen up to a Champions League spot of fourth place – thanks to the sniffer Lucas Alario (25). 'El pipa' finally showed he has recovered his nose for a goal. After hitting the woodwork twice in Frankfurt, Lucas Alario was on the spot to score with his first chance in the game against Werder."
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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