Piero Hincapie starts the qualification games from a Black and Red perspective. Ecuador entertain table-toppers Brazil on Thursday, 27 January (kick-off: 22.00 CET). They then face Peru six days later (2 February, 03.00 CET).
The Werkself player and his fellow countrymen are currently third in the South American World Cup qualification group with a six-point lead over Colombia in fourth. The top four places ensure qualification for the tournament in Qatar. The fifth-placed team goes into the play-offs.
Hincapie’s teammate Charles Aránguiz and Chile are up against second-placed Argentina – this time without Leverkusen players Lucas Alario and Exequiel Palacios. That match is on Friday, 28 January, at 01.15 CET. Aránguiz and Co. then play Bolivia on 1 February (kick-off: 21.00 CET).
Chile are currently sixth in the South American group and just one point behind the teams in fourth and fifth. There are still four games to play – so it is still possible for them to qualify for the World Cup finals.
Upcoming international fixtures:
Piero Hincapie (Ecuador)
Thursday, 27 January (22 .00 CET): Ecuador vs Brazil
Wednesday, 2 February (03.00 CET): Peru vs Ecuador
Charles Aránguiz (Chile)
Friday, 28 January (01.15 CET): Chile vs Argentina
Tuesday, 1 February (21.00 CET): Bolivia vs Chile
The Werkself conceded a goal at home for the first time since the beginning of January 67 minutes into the game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. Jarell Quansah levelled late on for the final score of 1-1 to secure a point and avoid a first home defeat in six games. Bayer 04 were very critical of their performance after the game. The Werkself review.
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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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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 on Matchday 24 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
A late goal secured a point for Bayer 04 at home to FSV Mainz 05 in a match that saw the Black and Reds dominant in the second half. Despite lots of possession, the Werkself initially found few gaps and fell behind after 67 minutes when Sheraldo Becker scored in a Mainz counter-attack. In the closing stages, Leverkusen threw everything forward once again and equalised through Jarell Quansah (88').
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