When Atletico Madrid arrive at the Cologne/Bonn Airport on Tuesday afternoon (5 November), above all their central striker can step onto German soil in confident mood. Until he scored against the Werkself, Morata had only found the back of the net once in the Spanish top-flight against Getafe on matchday one – and that was back in the middle of August. Since then the Spain international has had knee problems as well as a suspension that have kept him out of the side.
However, after coming on against Bayer 04, the 27-year-old scored with a header on 78 minutes – and that was the start of a run. The striker got his name on the scoresheet in all three of the following La Liga games: In the 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao, in the 1-1 draw against Deportivo Alaves and in the same result against Sevilla. So there will be plenty for the Bayer 04 defence to do
Ahead of the game against Bayer 04, Atletico have injury worries about four players who have the potential to be in the starting line-up: Central defenders Jose Maria Gimenez and Stefan Savic (both with muscle injuries), right-back Sime Vrsaljko (knee operation) plus prodigy Joao Felix (sprained ankle) could still be sidelined. In the last match against Sevilla, the back four was made up of four summer signings - Renan Lodi, Hermoso, Felipe and Kieran Trippier.
The situation in the table in the top flight in Spain is similar to the Bundesliga: Just five points separate league leaders Barcelona and Valencia in thirteenth place. Bayer 04 opponents Atletico are currently one point behind Barca – the team from the capital are fourth. Atleti currently have a remarkable goal difference: With twelve goals scored and seven conceded, the games involving Atletico have produced comparably few goals. If the Werkself succeed in winning then they would be the second team after Real Sociedad (0-2, matchday four) to beat the team coached by Diego Simeone this season in a competitive match.
Bayer 04 host Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal. The tie will be played on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, at the BayArena with the kick-off at 20:45 CEST. Information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 have the chance to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the third time ever and the first in 14 years at Arsenal on Tuesday night (kick-off 21:00 CEST/20:00 local time). To do that, the Werkself not only require a strong performance like in the first leg, but also full concentration until the very last minute, as the Premier League leaders like to score late - as they did at the BayArena last week. Here's the Matchday News.
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A special award for special social commitment. At this year's ceremony for the Sepp Herberger Awards in Wolfsburg on Monday night, the DFB Sepp Herberger Foundation recognised Bayer 04 in the social rehabilitation category. The Bundesliga club received the prize, together with €12,000, for its great service to inmates, particularly in the Wuppertal-Ronsdorf prison.
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Can Bayer 04 pull off a coup in London? Just over a week after the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, the Werkself are now looking to put in a convincing performance away at Arsenal – and get a result to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Ahead of the match on Tuesday, (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand shared his thoughts on the team’s hunger for success. Exequiel Palacios, meanwhile, spoke about the importance of the fixture and the team’s development over the past few months.
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In their last two matches, they’ve done exactly what 'Laterkusen' did in the 2023/24 double-winning season: late on, but not too late, the Gunners scored crucial goals – first in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at Bayer 04, then last weekend in the Premier League against Everton. This Tuesday, 17 March (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Arsenal host the Werkself in London. The latest on our opponents.
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