
The European champions meet the winners of the Copa América in the Finalissima. The new competition was agreed on 15 December 2020 after UEFA and CONMEBOL signed an updated agreement in principle. Italy qualified for the match thanks to the 3-2 win on penalties against England in last year's European Championships final; the Argentina team including Werkself midfielder Palacios won the South American title again for the first time in 28 years – with a 1-0 win against Brazil in the final.
Exequiel Palacios has won 18 full international caps to date. The match at Wembley Stadium kicks off tonight at 20.45 CEST.
The other Bayer 04 players will be on the pitch on Friday 3 June. Mitchel Bakker is first up with the Netherlands U21s in a European championship qualifier away to Moldova at 18.45 CEST. Bakker & Co. are currently second in Group 5 and they are only two points behind the leaders Switzerland having played one game less.
Then Moussa Diaby and France take on Denmark in the UEFA Nations League in Group 1A. The kick-off at the Stade de France in Paris is at 20.45 CEST.
Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou play their first matches in the Africa Cup of Nations from 21.00 CEST. The Werkself number 12 with Burkina Faso face Cape Verde in Marrakesh. Kossounou and the Ivory Coast play at the same time at home to Zambia in Yamoussoukro.
The #InternationalWerkself day is rounded off by Piero Hincapie with Ecuador. La Tri play the first of three friendlies in New Jersey (USA). Nigeria are the opponents in the first match. That game starts at 02.30 CEST.
Jonathan Tah is with Germany on Saturday 4 June for the game against hosts Italy in Bologna in Group 3A of the UEFA Nation's League. RTL will broadcast the match live on terrestrial TV as well as via a live stream from 20.15 CEST. The match kicks off at 20.45 CEST.
Before that, the Werkself captain Lukas Hradecky with Finland are also in action in the Nations League. The opponents in their first match in Group 3B are Bosnia-Herzegovina. The kick-off at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki is at 18.00 CEST.
INTERNATIONAL FXTURES:
Lukas Hradecky – Finland
4 June, 18.00 CEST: Finland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (UEFA Nations League)
7 June, 18.00 CEST: Finland vs Montenegro (UEFA Nations League)
11 June, 20.45 CEST: Romania vs Finland (UEFA Nations League)
14 June, 20.45 CEST: Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Finland (UEFA Nations League)
Jonathan Tah – Germany
4 June, 20:45 CEST: Italy vs Germany (UEFA Nations League)
7 June, 20:45 CEST: Germany vs England (UEFA Nations League)
11 June, 20.45 CEST: Hungary vs Germany (UEFA Nations League)
14 June, 20.45 CEST: Germany vs Italy (UEFA Nations League)
Moussa Diaby – France
3 June, 20.45 CEST: France vs Denmark (UEFA Nations League)
6 June, 20.45 CEST: Croatia vs France (UEFA Nations League)
10 June, 20.45 CEST: Austria vs France (UEFA Nations League)
13 June, 20.45 CEST: France vs Croatia (UEFA Nations League)
Exequiel Palacios – Argentina
1 June, 20.45 CEST: Italy vs Argentina (Finalissima)
Piero Hincapie – Ecuador
3 June, 02.30 CEST: Ecuador vs Nigeria (Friendly)
6 June, 01.30 CEST: Mexico vs Ecuador (Friendly)
12 June, 23.30 CEST: Ecuador vs Cape Verde (Friendly)
Edmond Tapsoba – Burkina Faso
3. June, 21.00 CEST: Burkina Faso vs Cape Verde (AFCON qualifier)
7. June, 15.00 CEST: Eswatini vs Burkina Faso (AFCON qualifier)
Odilon Kossounou – Ivory Coast
3 June, 21.00 CEST: Ivory Coast vs Zambia (AFCON qualifier)
9 June, 21.00 CEST: Lesotho vs Ivory Coast (AFCON qualifier)
Mitchel Bakker – Netherlands U21
3 June, 18.45 CEST: Moldova U21 vs Netherlands U21 (Euro qualifier)
7 June, 20.00 CEST: Netherlands U21 vs Gibraltar U21 (Euro qualifier)
11 June, 18.00 CEST: Wales U21 vs Netherlands U 21 (Euro qualifier)

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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