
Head coach Achim Feifel is expecting a similar game against the third-placed team as in the cup tie on Tuesday: "The opponents are the favourites again. They showed their strengths in the cup game. Although they did miss a lot of clear-cut chances. We did have luck on our side on lots of occasions and that can change on Friday."
The 55-year-old is again expecting a hard-fought game: "Hoffenheim will be looking to take revenge for the defeat in the cup tie. That makes them even more difficult to play against than normal." His team will need to produce a similarly impressive performance to the one on Tuesday: "You have to put opponents like that under pressure so that they can't get on the front foot. You could see that clearly in the cup game: When we didn't apply enough pressure and gave the opponent too much space they were able to create good goalscoring opportunities. But as soon as our pressing worked well, we were able to force TSG into making mistakes and launch counter-attacks."
The personnel situation ahead of the match has continued to ease compared with recent games. Only long-term injuries Melissa Friedrich, Pauline Wimmer (both torn cruciates) and Karoline Heinze (back problems) are still sidelined. Isabel Kerschowski returns to the squad after recovering from muscle problems. There will be a change between the sticks: Anna Klink, who is the number one in the league, returns in goal.

Alejandro Grimaldo, of course! With his late equaliser (88') in the Champions League clash against Newcastle United, the Spaniard rescued a point for the Werkself, who took the lead through an own goal by Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes (13') but went with two goals for the visitors scored by Anthony Gordon (51') and Lewis Miley (74'). It was the third draw for Bayer 04 in the current 2025/26 campaign on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase.
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The Werkself will be looking to continue their run in the Champions League against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The two victories without conceding a goal at Benfica (1:0) and Manchester City (2-0) will hopefully be followed by a win at home at the BayArena. Against the English side, who have a player with a Black and Red past in their ranks, the way to victory could be through efficiency in attack and quick transitional play. The latter in particular has recently caused the Magpies problems away from home on the European stage. Fans can also get the stylish matchday sticker for their Sound of Dreams tour pass at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt. The matchday news.
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For the first time ever, Bayer 04 have reached the knockout phase of the UEFA Youth League. At the end of the league phase, the Leverkusen U19s secured a 2-1 home win against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December. Montrell Culbreath scored before half-time and Ferdinand Pohl doubled the lead after the restart in the clash with the English side. The UCL youth competition continues at the beginning of February with the Round of 32, which will be played away from home without a second leg.
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The Bayer 04 U19s today, Wednesday 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET), host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday in the league phase of the UEFA Youth League. For coach Kevin Brok's team, the game against the English side is about securing a place in the next stage of the competition and a historic first appearance in the knockout phase. Werkself TV will broadcast the match live and free of charge from the Ulrich Haberland Stadium from 13:50 CET...
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Will Bayer 04 emulate their away wins at Benfica and Manchester City? Newcastle United are the visitors at a sold-out BayArena on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET/live on Werkself Radio) to round off the UEFA Champions League games for the year. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke in advance about the momentum in Europe's premier club competition and gave an encouraging personnel update. Jarell Quansah also spoke about his experiences playing against Nick Woltemade and his wish for the Bayer 04 fans.
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