
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.


Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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