The evening started with a setback for Bayer 04: Fabian ‘B04_Dubzje’ de Cae was 3-0 down after 25 minutes against the Mainz player Deniel ‘Denii_10’ Mutic on XBOX; and the final score was 4-0. “I lost the game by a country mile,” said a disappointed de Cae. “I was unlucky at times but the defeat was obviously deserved.”
All the more important was the victory for Kai ‘Deto’ Wollin in the following one-on-one on PlayStation. Up against the Mainz 05 player Francesco ‘Bajazzo_7’ Mazzei, the two-time world champion in Black and Red spent “ten minutes where I was just chasing the game.” However, thanks to an improved performance, ‘Deto’ ended up winning the clash 2-0. There was a change of formation to 4-4-2 in the two-on-two game – and that brought the next three points. “I’d like to thank ‘Deto’ for “helping me bounce back after my defeat. The six points against direct rivals are very important,” was de Cae’s assessment of the first part of the double matchday.
In contrast to the Mainz game, ‘Deto’ was more successful in the opener against HSV. The B04 eSports player controlled the clash with Hamburg’s Leon ‘HSV__Leon’ Krasniqi and he earned a deserved 3-0 win on PlayStation. And de Cae also performed better than against Mainz, earning a 2-1 win against Christoph ‘HSV Chrissi’ Strietzel “thanks to an improved performance” (SOT de Cae).
Bayer 04 only failed to win maximum points in the two-on-two against the Hamburg players Niklas ‘HSV NHeisen’ Heisen and Quinten ‘HSV Quinten’ van der Most – the final score 1-1. “We could have got three points here too,” declared Leverkusen’s de Cae. His partner ‘Deto’ summed up proceedings as follows: “13 out of 18 points against direct rivals – that’s a good result!”
‘B04_Dubzje’ and ‘Deto’ are back in action on Wednesday, 22 January with games against VfL Wolfsburg (18.00 CET) and Schalke 04 (20.30 CET). In a change from Monday games in the first half of the season, the regular VBL matchdays will now be on Wednesdays.
Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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