
“I’ve experienced great things and played in fantastic games for this club. I have grown very close to Bayer 04,” Karim Bellarabi said himself a few days ago. The eleven-time Germany international was unable to play against Borussia due to a muscle injury but he was a key element of the match on Sunday night in front of a full house at the BayArena.

Just before kick-off , the managing directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes presented him with a collage of photos from more than ten years under the Bayer Cross, the fans celebrated the crowd favourite with a striking Bellarabi song. During the 90 minutes of action on the pitch, Bellarabi supported his teammates as usual with great enthusiasm from the sidelines..
After the final whistle, Karim Bellarabi did a lap of honour with his teammates behind him – starting in front of the West Stand, then to the South Stand via the East Stand before finishing in front of the North Stand. Warm embraces with each and every fellow Werkself player was followed by climbing onto a podium at the home end.






Bellarabi was given a megaphone and he led the singing with thousands of Bayer 04 fans dressed in red. When he left the pitch at the BayArena for the last time as a Werkself player, “Karim Bellarabi – oh, oh, oh!” rang out from the stands…
Goalkeeper Andrey Lunev, Daley Sinkgraven, Ayman Azhil and Callum Hudson-Odoi also received farewells before kick-off. Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes thanked the four departing Werkself players for their time and commitment in a Bayer 04 shirt and also presented them with a photo collage.

Andrej Lunev joined Bayer 04 from Zenit St. Petersburg in the summer of 2021 and he made three appearances. The 31-year-old Russian has been ruled out through injury over recent months. Ayman Azhil started at the Black and Reds at the age of seven and he progressed through all the junior teams. With the exception of a two-year spell on loan at top-flight Dutch club RKC Waalwijk (2020-2022), Azhil, who played in one Bundesliga game, always remained loyal to Bayer 04.
Daley Sinkgraven can look back at four years in Leverkusen. The versatile Dutchman, signed from Ajax in 2019, made 78 appearances (six assists). Callum Hudson-Odoi joined the Werkself on loan from Premier League club Chelsea at the start of the season and the winger played 21 games and was involved in two goals for the Black and Reds.

The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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After back-to-back wins at home, Bayer 04 are now out for their first away win of 2026 as they visit Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday (15:30 CET). Ahead of the Matchday 20 fixture in the Bundesliga, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about renewed confidence, Frankfurt’s recent issues and Patrik Schick’s form so far this year.
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Eintracht Frankfurt are yet to win a game in 2026 and have managed only one victory in their last 12 competitive fixtures. Having already been eliminated from the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League, the Eagles are now focusing solely on the Bundesliga as they seek to get their season back on track with the visit of the Werkself on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the lowdown on our next opponents…
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