The online edition of the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger singles out Bayer 04's defensive solidity: "Heiko Herrlich's team, with a reorganised defence led by Julian Baumgartlinger after numerous absentees , produced a solid to good defensive performance. The Bayer defence was alert and proactive. Goalkeeper Bernd Leno had a very quiet afternoon."
The analysis in the Kicker: "Werder Bremen remained unbeaten in their twelfth Bundesliga home game under coach Florian Kohfeldt. Werder were disappointing up front in the 0-0 draw with Leverkusen but were very determined at the back The Werkself were livelier but were short of ideas in attack... The visitors tried hard but were unable to make the breakthrough."
The Kölner Express summed it up with the following point: "The Werkself now have their final for Champions League qualification on matchday 34 at home to Hannover 96.“ Their reports mentions the strange scene involving Lucas Alario: "It could have turned out worse for the Werkself following a fifth booking for Kevin Volland: Substitute Lucas Alario was also shown a yellow card with five minutes to play. Nobody in the stadium new why. Referee Hartmann withdrew the caution shortly afterwards when the the Video Assistant Bastian Dankert intervened. Luck and bad luck for Heiko Herrlich and his team."
The verdict of the Welt am Sonntag read: "90 minutes of superiority was not enough for Leverkusen to take the next step towards the Champions League against a tame Bremen side."
The online edition of the Rheinische Post reported: "Actually, everything went to plan from a Bayer 04 perspective: Hoffenheim, the closest rivals for fourth place, lost at Stuttgart and Dortmund slipped up against Mainz. Leverkusen, playing against coach Florian Kohfeldt's Bremen side still unbeaten at home, missed numerous chances. The 0-0 draw puts them level on points with Hoffenheim – and sets up an exciting showdown on the final matchday of the season... Leverkusen tried to land the knock-out blow right to the end but the Bremen defence held firm."
A disciplined defensive performance in the second leg saw Bayer 04 prevail against Olympiacos in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. Thanks to the 2-0 away win in the first leg, the goalless draw at home at the BayArena was enough to ensure progress to the next round. The Black and Reds kept their opponents away from their goal for the best part of 90 minutes.
Show more
Bayer 04 can go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the ninth time tonight, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET) and be in the top 16 clubs in Europe. A good omen: Leverkusen have progressed to the next round after winning the first leg in 20 of their 22 knockout rounds in European competitions to date. For their part, Greek record champions Olympiacos rested several players for last weekend’s league fixture ahead of the play-off second leg at the BayArena and will now do everything in their power to turn the tide with their usual aggressive and high pressing. The discussions on Werkself radio are likely to be just as intense as the battle on the pitch, with commentator Florian Bechholz welcoming honorary captain Stefan Kießling and goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
With the advantage of the 2-0 first-leg win in the play-offs, the Werkself are looking to book their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League at the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the home game against Olympiacos on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand and goalkeeper Janis Blaswich spoke about the position ahead of the match, the visitors' strength at set-pieces and a personnel issue for the home side.
Show more
With a win in the Greek Super League last weekend, Olympiacos achieved success on the pitch ahead of the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg at Bayer 04 on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET). Coach José Luis Mendilibar rested many of his regular starters.
Show more
