The match will be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. Werkself fans do have the chance to watch the game live. The only external friendly before the start of the season will be broadcast on Bayer 04 TV at bayer04.de and on the club’s YouTube channel.
The Werkself returned to full training on Monday morning. While the international players are on the road with their national teams, the Leverkusen players left at home face a first challenge in the clash with the Belgian side. Anderlecht are already up to speed in terms of match practice as the league started at the beginning of August. The results for the team currently eighth in the table: one win, three draws.
The 2019/20 season was abandoned after matchday 29 due to the coronavirus pandemic. RSC Anderlecht, with Vincent Kompany as player-manager, are currently eighth in the table five points behind Standard Liege who are in the qualifiers for the Europa League this term.
The most famous representative of the club from Brussels is the manager. Vincent Kompany took the helm at his former club in the summer. After coming through the youth ranks at RSC, he stepped up to the senior squad at the Violet and Whites in 2003. The central defender decided to move on to Hamburg SV three years later and then he played for Manchester City for eleven years becoming a massive club legend. Kompany was player-manager at RSC last season. The 34-year-old became head coach in the summer.
Anderlecht are one of the top clubs in Belgium in terms of youth development. Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens and many more came through the youth teams at the 34-time Belgian champions. With players like Albert Sambi Lokonga (20) and Jérémy Doku (18), the next generation of top talents are ready and waiting.
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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