The big team from the north-west of Portugal picked up the points in the first game against Porto. The team under coach Sergio Conceicao ran out 2-0 winners against the Werkself on their home turf at the Estádio do Dragão with goals from Zaidu (69') and Galeno (87'). Those were the first points for the Dragons in Group B and they are now in third place level on points behind Bayer 04 in second and fourth-placed Atlético Madrid. Club Brugge are the runaway leaders with nine points from three games.
Porto are still flourishing on the domestic stage. The Blue and Whites won 2-0 away to SC Portimonense in the Portuguese league at the weekend. The lead for the visitors came from an unusual one-two: Otavio chested the ball down to Evanilson in the penalty area and he played it back with his belly. Otavio then slotted the ball into the net to give Porto a 1-0 lead (22'). The Dragons increased the advantage just after the restart following excellent work from Mehdi Taremi in the build-up with the Brazilian Pepê doubling the lead at 2-0. That secured the victory.
Porto remain close on the heels of league leaders Benfica with the seventh win in nine games and they are three points behind the top-of-the-table team from the capital in second place. "I didn't really like the first 15 minutes but after that we created lots of chances and we could have won by a bigger margin," said coach Conceicao analysing the 2-0 win on the Algarve.
The 47-year-old coach will have to manage without central defender Pepe in Leverkusen on Wednesday. The stalwart led his team out as captain in the 2-0 victory over the Werkself but suffered a knee injury in training a couple of days later. That means Pepe is not available for the game at the BayArena. He would have particularly looked forward to a reunion with Xabi Alonso. Pepe made 156 appearances for Real Madrid under the current Werkself head coach from 2009 to 2014. They won the Champions League together with the clu
Pepe's current teammate Wendell is really looking forward to a return to his former stamping ground. The Brazilian defender played for the Werkself for seven years. Now he has a good chance of being in the Porto starting line-up for Wednesday night's match at the BayArena. The 29-year-old left-back has started the last three games. "I have so many friends Bayer 04 and it will be a very emotional moment for me to be playing at the BayArena again," said Wendell.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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