+++ 4 October, 12.50 CEST +++
Half-time in the Youth League clash. The scoreline after 45 minutes is 0-0 with the game at the Estadio Dr. Jorge Sampaio watched by sporting managing director Simon Rolfes and his predecessor Rudi Völler. Excitement awaits in the second half.
+++ 4 October, 11.23 CEST +++
Day two in Porto gets off to a sporting start. While the Werkself players warm-up for tonight’s game, the Youth League game between Porto and Bayer 04 kicks off at midday local time at the Estadio Dr. Jorge Sampaio. Werkself TV will cover the game live.
+++ 3 October, 20.05 CEST +++
The final training is nearly over. In addition to photos of the session at the Estádio do Dragão we close the day with another look at tomorrow: There will be a warm-up session in the morning. then lunch, a break and the pre-match meal before setting off to the stadium - then it is matchday. Till then we wish you a peaceful evening and here’s to a successful matchday for us all tomorrow.
+++ 3 October, 19.22 CEST +++
The press conference has finished, the Werkself are on the pitch for final training. The key statements from the press conference with Gerardo Seoane and Edmond Tapsoba are HERE.
+++ 3 October, 18.12 CEST +++
Gerardo Seoane and Edmond Tapsoba have arrived at the Estádio do Dragão. The press conference with the Leverkusen duo starts at 18.30 CET where they will field a host of questions from journalists from Germany and Portugal.
+++ 3 October, 15.20 CEST +++
The Werkself have landed in Porto. After a comfortable flight lasting just over two hours, the Bayer 04 group headed for the team hotel. This evening there is a press conference with head coach Gerardo Seoane and central defender Edmond Tapsoba plus the final training at the Estádio do Dragão. More on that later as usual on the Black and Red channels.
+++ 3 October, 11.45 CEST +++
21 Werkself players have set off for Porto: Lukas Hradecky, Piero Hincapie, Jonathan Tah, Mitchel Bakker, Odilon Kossounou, Robert Andrich, Sardar Azmoun, Kerem Demirbay, Nadiem Amiri, Edmond Tapsoba, Patrik Schick, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Moussa Diaby, Charles Aránguiz, Amine Adli, Adam Hlozek, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Jeremie Frimpong, Ayman Azhil, Niklas Lomb and Andrey Lunev.
+++ 3 October, 11.20 CEST +++
The players from the Leverkusen Youth League squad under U19 head coach Sven Hübscher are already at the gate waiting to board the plane. The Werkself players will soon follow.
+++ 3 October, 10.17 CEST+++
The Bayer 04 fan liaison team has put together information on the away game at the Estádio do Dragão for the travelling fans Werkself fans.
+++3 October, 09.34 CEST+++
The Werkself are on the road in Europe again: On matchday 3 in UEFA Champions League Bayer 04 are away to Porto tomorrow night. The kick-off at the Estádio do Dragão is at 21.00 CEST.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Tonight, 20 January (kick-off: 22:00 local time/21:00 CET), Bayer 04 will not only face a familiar face in Panagiotis Retsos, but also an experienced and successful team in their Greek top-flight opponents. The Olympiacos midfield and forward line in particular are peppered with seasoned veterans from top European clubs - but even they will first have to find solutions against the Werkself defence that has recently performed with aplomb in the UCL. The matchday news.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about anticipation for the game. Werkself player Ibrahim Maza also gave an insight into dealing with the recent setbacks.
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After their first win on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase, Olympiacos are still in with a good chance of reaching the play-offs in the UEFA Champions League. The 2024 UEFA Conference League winners will be looking to go one better in their home match against Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), but their stop scorer is unavailable. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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