
Kai ‘Deto’ Wollin started for the fourth-placed Black and Reds against Sascha ‘M_ocki’ Mockenhaupt on PlayStation. The Wiesbaden player, normally playing as a central defender in the second division, was called up as a late replacement to the eSport squad at the Hessen club at the start of January. He had to settle for a 2-1 defeat in his first-ever VBL game as ‘Deto’ picked up the first win for Leverkusen. The #B04eSports player still had plenty of praise for his opposite number: “His mentality was really impressive. Of course, he knows from playing football that you can carry on pushing forward, even if you go behind, and do the best you can.”
In the second one-on-one clash, Fabian ‘B04_Dubzje’ de Cae played his XBOX opponent Simon ‘Bremo’ Döring. After being 2-1 down at half-time, ‘B04_Dubzje’, in the person of Lucas Alario, secured the next win for Bayer 04 with a late brace – and that brought points four, five and six on the night.
The situation ahead of the final two-on-two clash could not have been better from a Leverkusen perspective. However, Wiesbaden, now represented by Alexander ‘Bono’ Rauch and Sascha ‘M_ocki’ Mockenhaupt on the console, went into half-time in the lead. And the Hessen team also dominated the second half and Törles Knöll, operated by ‘Bono’, scored in the last minute to make it 2-0. Afterwards, ‘Deto’ criticised the lack of efficiency in his team: “We had a lot of good moves and did a lot right up to their penalty area. Unfortunately, the final pass was always the wrong one.”
The 6-3 overall win for Leverkusen puts them on 102 points in second place in the table. The current league leaders are Borussia Mönchengladbach (105) and Greuther Fürth (100) are third. Werder Bremen, leaders before this matchday, have slipped to fourth place on 98 points but they have a game in hand on their rivals.
The #B04eSports duo are in action again on Wednesday 19 February on the penultimate VBL matchday. From 20.30 CET they play FC Augsburg, currently sixteenth in the table. ‘Deto’ is all set for the run-in: “Anything can happen in two matchdays. We’ll do our best and see where we end up.”

Newcastle United have amassed nine points after five matchdays, one more in the UEFA Champions League than the Werkself. The Magpies are also steadily improving in the Premier League, where they're currently unbeaten in four games. On Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Eddie Howe's side will be the visitors at the BayArena. He's also likely to field two Germany internationals in the game. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The situation ahead of the showdown is clear - and promising. The Bayer 04 U19s host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League phase. A win at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium would see the Werkself go through to the knockout stages of the competition for the first time. Ahead of the clash on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/livestream on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app), coach Kevin Brok spoke about the successful build-up, his assessment of the match and the danger of underestimating the already eliminated English side.
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The Werkself will host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 16 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 10 January, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself will host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 24 January, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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In the sixth and final match of the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, the Bayer 04 U19s have a great opportunity to advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s most prestigious youth competition for the first time. To achieve that under their own steam, they will need a win against Newcastle United at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/ free admission). In an interview with bayer04.de, managing director sport Simon Rolfes analyses the team's performances so far and their special situation. And the 43-year-old reveals what he would be happy to do without on the day of the match.
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