The clubs faced off in two competitive matches in the 2021/22 Europa League group stage. The first match in Spain ended in a 1-1 draw before the Werkself won 4-0 thanks to goals by Moussa Diaby (2), Florian Wirtz and Nadiem Amiri in Leverkusen.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini was already in the Real Betis dugout by then. Sevilla is the 13th position in Pellegrini’s career as a coach. The 70-year-old coached Spanish sides Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga from 2004 to 2013. He was in charge of Manchester City from 2013 to 2016, winning the Premier League in 2014 and the League Cup in 2014 and 2016. The Chilean coached West Ham United before joining Real Betis.
Today’s match is the Andalusians’ last pre-season friendly. They previously beat Austria Salzburg 5-1 and Saudi-Arabian club Al-Ittihad with ex-Werkself pro Moussa Diaby 4-1. They lost to Premier League clubs Liverpool (1-0) and Manchester United (3-2) while on a tour to the USA and were held to a goalless draw by Spanish second-tier side Cadiz last Wednesday. Further information on Real Betis can be found in the profile of our next opponents.
The city administration of Leverkusen asks all visitors to travel by public transport, bike or foot. There will be road closures four hours before kick-off on Saturday. The city administration of Leverkusen has summarised all the traffic info (in German) ahead of the season launch HERE.
The spectators can look forward to a number of highlights. The Leverkusen U19s encounter Alemannia Aachen in a league match at 13:00 CEST. There will be hands-on activities for visitors big and small in and around the BayArena.
Bayer 04 members who have reserved a time slot can have pictures taken with the two trophies won in 2023/24 for the first time. Another highlight awaits the spectators after full time. All the info on the programme can be found HERE.
Anyone wanting to read key facts about the match before the game should take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday magazine is available at the BayArena and the digital version is also available free of charge online (in German). Click here for the ePaper!
The friendly will be streamed live in the Bayer 04 app as well as on the Bayer 04 YouTube channel and Werkself-TV. ServusTV and DF1 are also broadcasting the game live in Germany. In addition, the Bayer 04 live ticker (German language only) will keep you up to date so you don't miss any of the action. Werkself-Radio will not be broadcasting.
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.
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