This time the draw was made by the former Leverkusen women's player Turid Knaak, who played for Bayer 04 from 2011 to 2017. She stood in for Felix Neureuther due to illness. The former Germany international and current goalkeeping coach of the national team, Andreas Köpke, was in charge of the draw.
Rudi Völler: "We are happy to have another home game. VfB Stuttgart not only feels like a first division team of course but they are also an opponent to take seriously and we will need to be on top of our game. But we want to go far in this competition and we are very, very optimistic that we can go through against VfB." The record against VfB in the DFB Cup provides reason to be optimistic. Bayer 04 have always beaten Stuttgart in the cup. And the Werkself progressed to the semi-final stage in 1991/92 and 2002/03.
Sporting director Simon Rolfes was also excited: “A great draw for us. VfB will bring lots of fans and it will be a great cup battle with a guaranteed fantastic atmosphere. Our clear aim is to win this duel and go through to the quarter-finals."
Ticket information will be announced shortly.
Eintracht Frankfurt v RB Leipzig
Bayer 04 v VfB Stuttgart
FC Bayern Munich v TSG Hoffenheim
Schalke 04 v Hertha Berlin
FC Saarbrücken v Karlsruher SC
Werder Bremen v Borussia Dortmund
FC Kaiserslautern v Fortuna Düsseldorf
SC Verl v FC Union Berlin
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
Show more
Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
Show more
The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
Show more
Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
Show more
The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
Show more
