Jonathan Tah, Nadiem Amiri and Kai Havertz were called up to the Germany squad again although the 20-year-old playmaker has had to withdraw due to an injury sustained in last Sunday's 2-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Joachim Löw's team play Belarus in Mönchengladbach on Saturday 16 November. The final qualifier is three days later when the four-time world champions entertain Northern Ireland in Frankfurt (both kick-offs at 20.45 CET and broadcast live on RTL). Providing Northern Ireland do not beat the Netherlands – that game is also on Saturday night – then Tah, Amiri and Co. will qualify for the finals if they beat Belarus. Even a draw would be enough if the Dutch beat the Northern Irish team. Germany will be looking to make a statement by winning the two remaining Euro qualifiers. That would increase the chances of winning the group, which could be crucial for the draw at the end of the month: Only the six best group winners will be seeded as the strongest teams. Group runners-up will be in pots two to four according to the UEFA coefficients and those could be much tougher groups.
The Werkself duo Julian Baumgartlinger and Aleksandar Dragovic are on the road with Austria. Saturday brings a home game at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna when Austria take on North Macedonia. That is followed on Tuesday 19 November by an away fuxture against Latvia in Riga (kick-offs at 20.45 CET, both games live on DAZN). One point against North Macedonia would be enough to qualify for the finals. Austria are currently second in Group G, three points behind Poland.
Lukas Hradecky is in a position, in his own words, to "make history" with his home country Finland: The Scandinavians are on the verge of making their first appearance in the European Championship finals. The Finns need just one win and that could come on Friday 15 November in the home game against Liechtenstein in Helsinki (kick-off at 20.45 CET, live on DAZN). The 'Eagle Owls' would then finish second in Group J behind Italy regardless of the outcome of the other games and the result against Greece in Athens on Monday 18 November (kick-off 20.45 CET, live on DAZN). Werkself striker Joel Pohjanpalo is not available for the two remaining qualifiers: The 25-year-old suffered an ankle injury in a training session with his international team-mates. Pohjanpalo is remaining with the Finland squad for the rest of the international break and he will give them his maximum support.
The U21 European Championships are also in full swing: Bayer 04 pros Moussa Diaby (France U21s) and Panagiotis Retsos (Greece U21s) are also representing their countries. Diaby and France play Georgia on Friday and are away to Switzerland on Tuesday (19 November). The Greece U21 team, including Retsos, play Scotland in Edinburgh tomorrow. Adrian Stanilewicz and the Poland U20 national team are involved in the U20 Elite League: Adrian was on the bench in the 5-1 win against Switzerland on Thursday. There is a friendly on Monday against the Norway U20s.
Away from the Euro qualifiers, there are a number of friendlies to be played: Lucas Alario is with Argentina for a friendly against Brazil in Riyadh (Friday 15 November, kick-off: 18.00 CET) and three days later they take on Uruguay in Tel Aviv (kick-off: 20 to 45 CET). The Peru v Chile friendly planned for next Wednesday involving Charles Aránguiz has been called off due to the national crisis in Chile. Paulinho is away with the Brazil U23s in the Canaries for a four-way tournament with the U23s playing the USA in the semi-finals. The Argentina and Chile junior teams are also involved.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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