
Lukas Hradecky and Co. secured a convincing win in the first clash the top Scottish side at the end of September: after 90 minutes at the legendary Celtic Park – named Paradise by their fans – the game ended in a 4-0 victory. This heavy defeat clearly had an effect on the Green and Whites with Celtic going unbeaten across three competitions up to today. The team under coach Ange Postecoglou have picked up eight wins and one draw since the first game against the Black and Reds. The captain Callum McGregor and Co. clocked up six points in the last two matches against Ferencvaros (2-0, 3-2).
Following a patchy start in the Scottish league, Celtic are now back in the title race. Ahead of the first game against Bayer 04, the Postecoglou team were sixth in the table and six points behind arch rivals and league leaders Rangers. The Green and Whites have now made up four points on Rangers and moved up four places, Celtic are currently second in Scotland's top flight.
The last league match brought a 4-2 away win at Dundee. Following the international break, there was a 1-0 home win against St. Johnstone in the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup.
The statistics ahead of the second game between Celtic and Bayer 04 clearly favour the Werkself: The Scots have lost six of their seven away games in Germany in the Europa League or UEFA Cup (one draw). The last game ended in a 2-0 defeat away to RB Leipzig in October 2018.
The BayArena has also become a real fortress in European home games: The Black and Reds have not lost any of the 14 home games in the group stages of the Europa League (11 wins, three draws). No team in the history of the competition has played at home as often as Bayer 04 without losing a single game.
The Seoane team are currently top of Group G with ten points from four games and Celtic are third on six points. Real Betis are second on seven points and Ferencvaros are bottom with no points.

A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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