Heiko Herrlich, who gave his players the day off on Sunday after the match, kept to his word by fielding a completely different starting eleven for the match against Preußen Münster. Only the U19 player, Jakub Bednarczyk, who played for 15 minutes against Fürth on Friday, was back on the pitch against the third division side. Benny Henrichs returned after recovering from a bruised foot and he lined up in defence alongside Tin Jedvaj and Wendell. Leon Bailey, suffering from a cold, was rested with the Jamaican completing a one-to-one session with fitness coach Daniel Jouvin in the morning. Bayer 04 played with three up front: Joel Pohjanpalo, Stefan Kießling (captain for the day) and Lucas Alario.
The powerful attacking trio were the focus of attention from the start in front of the 1,500 crowd. After a one-two with Alario, Pohjanpalo put the ball just wide of the top corner on six minutes. The Argentinian then opened the scoring from a precision pass from Kießling on eight minutes. The busy Alario remained centre stage and, after being thwarted by the Münster keeper Nils-Jonathan Körber on 27 minutes, then doubled the lead on 33 minutes – the central striker initially slipped from Bellarabi's cross but he was quick to make amends and cease his chance. Bayer 04 could have had a clearer lead if Pohjanpalo not missed good chances on 30 and 38 minutes. Münster then took advantage of the hosts losing possession in the build-up with almost the whole team moving up the pitch. Ramazan Özcan made a save, Wendell then cleared off the line before Lennart Stoll turned the ball into the net to make it 2-1 on 39 minutes.
There were two changes at half-time: Niklas Lomb took the place of Özcan in goal, Sam Schreck replaced Bednarczyk as an attacking midfielder on the left. And then there were clear-cut chances for the Werkself: A powerful shot from Bellarabi on 50 minutes was saved by the keeper Schulze Niehues, and Alario failed to convert the rebound to complete his hat-trick. The visitors were now more effective and they levelled the scores at 2-2 with a free kick from Akono on 63 minutes. Münster, who changed the whole team at half-time, looked much more lively. Bellarabi then went off injured on 79 minutes with the winger being replaced by Hajdar Shala. Both sides had the chance to win before the end of the match: A shot from Adriano Grimaldi was saved by Lomb with his foot on 88 minutes and the Münster keeper kept out Pohjanpalo at the other end a minute later.
"Of course, we can't be happy with the conversion rate. But I'm satisfied with the performance. Most of the players had to cope with jet lag or not having played 90 minutes recently. As they were supposed to put the opposition under pressure the whole time, it was clear to me we would ease off after 60 or 65 minutes," said head coach Heiko Herrlich after the game. The Werkself have time for a breather on Sunday before returning on Monday for a double training session in preparation for the game against Bayern.
Bayer 04: Özcan (Lomb 46') – Henrichs, Jedvaj, Wendell (Akkaynak 72') – Bellarabi (Shala 79'), Frey, Aránguiz, Bednarczyk (Schreck 46') – Pohjanpalo, Kießling, Alario
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).
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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.
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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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