"Ready for the next strike" – the Werkself are looking to take another big step in the direction of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League with a win against Be’er Sheva. The BayArena Aktuell matchday magazine provides facts on #B04HBS, introduces the Israeli team and draws an interesting comparison between Julian Baumgartlinger and Be'er Sheva's Mariano Bareiro. The magazine is available (in German) HERE.
As with the visitors from Israel, the UEFA referee Pawel Gil will again be on the pitch with the Black and Reds for a second time on Thursday night. The 44-year-old Pole refereed the Europa League home game against FC Zurich in November 2018, which Bayer 04 won 1-0 thanks to a headed goal from Tin Jedvaj.
The Hapoel team arrived at the BayArena on Wednesday night after a long journey from Israel. Head coach Yossi Abukasis and defender Sean Goldberg made their way straight to the pre-match press conference in the media centre at the stadium. Ahead of the return match, Goldberg talked about a "tough challenge that we have to deal with as a team."
Head coach Abukasis confirmed in answer to a journalist why the key player Josué did not travel to Leverkusen. There was an altercation between the Portuguese and one of his teammates in training. "I decided not to take him with us and I received the full backing of the club," said the 50-year-old.
While the visitors from Be'er Sheva were able to hold their final pre-match training session at the BayArena following the press conference, the roof of the Werkself stadium was lit up in orange. Bayer 04 were thereby showing the club's commitment to the 'Orange your City' campaign making a clear stand against sexual violence. The Water Tower, the Leverkusen Clinic and other buildings in the city will also lit up in this colour on the 'International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women'.
The world of football was shaken by this news on Wednesday: Diego Maradona, one of the best players of all time, has passed away at the age of 60. "His death has hit me hard. He was born the same year as me and we were often opponents at World Cups and in Italy. A wonderful player. His premature death is a bitter blow for football and for Diego's family," said Rudi Völler. The Bayer 04 sporting managing director faced Maradona at the 1990 World Cup final when Germany beat Argentina 1-0.
There will be a minute's silence in honour of Maradona at the Europa League match between Bayer 04 and Be’er Sheva.
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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Last-minute ecstasy, huge disappointment and a historic performance on the European stage - 2025 was a real emotional roller coaster, especially for the U19s. A rousing run in the knockout phase secured the team a place in the final of the German championships, where they lost by the narrowest of margins. Despite the departure of several key players, the young Werkself team quickly regained their usual strength and qualified for the knockout rounds in the UEFA Youth League for the first time at the end of the year. In 2025, youngsters Jeremiah Mensah and Montrell Culbreath made their debuts in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. The other youth teams also contributed great performances and a number of trophies to the collective Black and Red success, while the successful Bayer 04 Future Kids project broke new ground. Read on for the 2025 review of the youth teams.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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A memorable 12 months: 2025 was a year marked by success, intense competition and groundbreaking innovations for the #B04eSports team. After ending the 2024/25 season as runners-up, the Leverkusen-based console pros got down to business in a new, completely restructured season model, in which showdowns rather than divisions were the decisive factor on the road to the final round of the German Club Championship. Bayer 04 quickly earned a place in the history books of the most prestigious competition in German eSports and secured some valuable advantages for the coming year. Bayer04.de takes a look back at 12 months full of passion and the determination to take the next step.
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Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
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