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.
Today, Tuesday 16 December (live on B04eSports Twitch channel from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports players face the final three matches of the online preliminary round of Showdown Three in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. In addition to 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 and SV 07 Elversberg, they will play Fortuna Düsseldorf, who are still unbeaten in this third showdown. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Whether it's the Lions Club, Teens, Bayer 04 Club or Silver Lions - there was a lot going on again this year in all age-specific members' clubs. We look back on an eventful year with numerous events and many exclusive moments with the Werkself. We take a look at what the year 2025 had to offer for the members of the Bayer 04 Club...
Show more
Coaches, team-mates, fans, commentators, the media - they were all amazed when Martin Terrier unleashed his scorpion kick against 1. FC Köln at the BayArena and skilfully put the Werkself ahead after 66 minutes on Bundesliga matchday 14. The Frenchman chose the perfect moment to score what he described as the "best goal of my career". After all, it was his goal that paved the way for the derby victory. The Werkself review.
Show more
Bayer 04 picked up three points in the last home game of the year with 2-0 win against 1. FC Köln on matchday 14. After a dominant first half with good chances, Martin Terrier, who came on as a substitute in the second half, produced a brilliant scorpion kick to make to 1-0 for the Werkself (66') before captain Robert Andrich rounded off the derby victory with a header six minutes later.
Show more
