
The Italians, who lost to the Werkself in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League in August 2015 (1-0 and 0-3), finished fifth in Serie A last season to qualify for the Europa League. The team is coached by Simone Inzaghi who has recently agreed a contract extension to 2020. Stars in the line-up of the two-time Italian champions and six-time winners of the Italian Cup include the Brazilian Felipe Anderson and strikers Immobile and Keita.
Remaining Werkself pre-season friendlies:
27 July, 18.30 CET, Zell am See:
Bayer 04 v Antalyaspor
30 July, 15.30 CET, Grödig:
Bayer 04 v Lazio
5 August, 14 .00 CET, BayArena:
Bayer 04 v Celta Vigo

Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has gained a new partner in digital gaming platform Crown Coins, which joins the Bundesliga runners-up's Sponsors Club with immediate effect. The one-and-a-half-year contract runs until 30 June 2027.
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The Werkself host VfB Stuttgart this evening (10 January, 18:30 CET), a side whose recent Bundesliga form has been indifferent but who have regularly produced top performances in the DFB Pokal and UEFA Europa League, and who have a key player back in the squad in striker Ermedin Demirovic. Off the pitch, the BayArena faithful will be able to see the remaining stoppage time live on the video screens. The Matchday News.
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The Werkself face a tough challenge in the first game of 2026 when VfB Stuttgart visit the BayArena on Saturday, 10 January (kick-off: 18:30 CET). Ahead of the top-of-the-table clash, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about his impressions of training this week, anticipation of the start of the new calendar year and the personnel situation.
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