he Germany players are involved in the start of the European qualifiers for the forthcoming World Cup in Russia. Germany coach Joachim Löw has called up five Leverkusen players so that Bayer 04 and FC Bayern are providing the most players for the DFB squad. Julian Brandt, Kevin Volland, Bernd Leno and Jonathan Tah plus newcomer Benjamin Henrichs are hopeful of playing against San Marino. The match in the small stadium in Serravalle on Friday kicks off at 20.45 CET.
More matches follow at the weekend: Chicharito and Mexico face a prestigious encounter in Ohio with the neighbours USA under coach Jürgen Klinsmann. Ömer Toprak and Hakan Calhanoglu are in line to play for Turkey against Kosovo at the same time that Tin Jedvaj and Croatia face Iceland, the surprise package of Euro 2016. The final match on Saturday sees Austria with captain Julian Baumgartlinger, Aleksandar Dragovic and keeper Ramazan Özcan, who takes over in goal from the injured first choice Robert Almer, play Ireland. Admir Mehmedi is an action with Switzerland on Sunday against the Faroe Islands.
Private audience with the Pope
Robbie Kruse has been a regular choice for the Socceroos for years. Austria play Thailand on Tuesday 15 November and an interesting match in the Asiatic World Cup qualifiers. That evening, Germany play a friendly against Italy at the legendary Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan. Before that, the Leverkusen quintet and the other players in the Germany squad have a unique appointment: Jogi Löw and his players have a private audience with Pope Francis in Rome.
The final fixtures of the international break involving Bayer 04 players will are in America. Chicharito and Mexico play Panama a week on Wednesday, Charles Aránguiz and Chile face Colombia and then Uruguay.
International fixtures involving Bayer 04 players:
Thursday, 10.11., 21.30 CET: Colombia v Chile (Aránguiz)
Friday., 11.11., 20.45 CET: San Marino v Germany (Volland, Brandt, Leno, Tah, Henrichs)
Saturday., 12.11., 1.45 CET: USA v Mexico (Chicharito)
Saturday., 12.11., 18.00 CET: Turkey v Kosovo (Toprak, Calhanoglu)
Saturday., 12.11., 18.00 CET: Croatia v Island (Jedvaj)
Saturday., 12.11., 20.45 CET: Austria v Ireland (Baumgartlinger, Özcan, Dragovic)
Sunday., 13.11., 18.00 CET: Switzerland v Faroe Islands (Mehmedi)
Tuesday., 15.11., 13.00 CET: Thailand v Australia (Kruse)
Tuesday., 15.11., 20.45 CET: Italy v Germany (Volland, Brandt, Leno, Tah, Henrichs)
Tuesday., 15.11., 20.45 CET: Northern Ireland v Croatia (Jedvaj)
Tuesday., 15.11., 20.45 CET: Austria v Slovakia (Baumgartlinger, Özcan, Dragovic)
Wednesday., 16.11., 0.30 CET: Chile v Uruguay (Aránguiz)
Wednesday., 16.11., 3.05 CET: Panama v Mexico (Chicharito)
The dress rehearsal in the Premier League for the match against the Werkself did not go well at the weekend. However, Manchester City are still unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League, the competition they won in 2023. In the first encounter with Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Pep Guardiola will be able to field just about his best line-up. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Will the Bayer 04 U19s take the next step towards their first appearance in the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League in the away game at Manchester City? Coach Kevin Brok is well aware of this historic opportunity, but he's not about to start worrying about the maths: "We're not concerned with the question of what might be good enough. We invest everything we can and always aim for the maximum. That's our way." The game on this penultimate Matchday 5 of the league phase takes place on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 16:00 CET) at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. Werkself TV will be broadcasting the whole match exclusively for Bayer 04 club members live from 15:50 CET....
Show more
€1,000 and food for a good cause: In keeping with the long-standing cooperation between Bayer 04 and the Tafel Leverkusen e.V. food bank, the U19s are also supporting the charitable organisation in the region. In addition to the generous cheque the team were able to donate to an organisation of their choice as a result of their participation in the UEFA Youth League, coach Kevin Brok's lads donated €500 worth of food - financed by their own team kitty. Ferdinand Pohl, Jesper Schlich and Co. also actively helped to stow the food in the Tafel's premises.
Show more
Bayer 04's impressive run of form has not been affected by the international break: The Werkself followed up their 6-0 victory over Heidenheim with a 3-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg that sees them move up into a Champions League spot in the Bundesliga for the first time this season. In the first half, it was an outstandingly cool and consistent performance by the team under head coach Kasper Hjulmand, who earned a special record at Bayer 04 on Saturday. Find out all about the win at the Volkswagen Arena in the Werkself review.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg on the 11th matchday of the Bundesliga 2025/26...
Show more
