The Black and Reds, currently fifth in the Bundesliga, face a team in East Berlin with an outstanding record at home: Union have won four of their last five home games at the An der Alten Försterei Stadium, all without conceding. “They are a different opponent compared with Dortmund. They have their own strengths, particularly in defence,” said Bosz about the next opposition.
The fact Union Berlin are also the opponents in the DFB Cup quarter-finals in three weeks is not relevant at the moment according to the Dutchman. The 56-year-old said: “I only look at the next game and we have to fully focus on that. And who knows who will be playing for either side in the cup tie.”
The Bundesliga away game in the capital marks the start of a busy period of fixtures over the next three weeks. “We won’t have much time to recover,” said Bosz. The head coach was happy to see recent absentees Kerem Demirbay (suspended), Julian Baumgartlinger, Exequiel Palacios and Charles Aránguiz (all injured) return to full training this week.
It is looking good for the Chilean after his long injury lay-off but it remains to be seen if he will play. “Charly said he didn’t have any problems yesterday. But he hasn’t played since the start of January so we’ll have to wait and see what happens in today’s session. I’ll make my decision after that,” Bosz explained. “Perhaps all four will be available for selection.”
With a win against Union Berlin, Bayer 04 playmaker Kai Havertz can clock up his 50th Bundesliga victory – and all that at just 20 years of age. At the pre-match press conference, the head coach praised the development of the Germany international since the start of the second half of the season. “We’ve all seen that the Kai of last season is back. Against Dortmund, you could see he is very important to the team,” said the Dutchman who was also able to welcome back Paulinho yesterday.
The Brazilian was in Colombia where he helped the Selecao U23 team qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Bosz finished by saying: “That means all players are available as of now. That is very important in view of the run of fixtures coming up.”
Match information:
Referee: Harm Osmers (Hannover)
Broadcaster: Sky (TV) and Werkself Radio (bayer04.de)
Attendance: 21,717 (sold out), including 2,500 Bayer 04 fans
The penultimate Bundesliga matchday of the calendar year marks the end of an eventful first half of the season for the Bayer 04 Women. After seven wins, one draw and four defeats from the first twelve games of the season, coach Roberto Pätzold's team can go above Werder Bremen in the table with a win on Friday, 12 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET).
Show more
The third showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 kicks off for the Leverkusen eSports team this Thursday, 11 December (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Red will once again take on six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round, which will take place at this third showdown on 19 December in Cologne. Showdown One winners Bayer 04 will face FC St. Pauli, who won the second showdown last month, among others. The lowdown on first three opponents in this online preliminary round.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
