The hosts are playing their final friendly before they kick off their Bundesliga 2 campaign at SV Darmstadt 98 next Saturday, 2 August. It's been an intensive four weeks for the team who were related from the top flight last term. The squad reported back to work at the end of June and have since played six friendlies, losing none of them. Four of those came during VfL's training camp in Scheffau, Austria, with a 1-1 draw against Czech runners-up Viktoria Plzen, a 3-2 win over SV Waldhof Mannheim, a 5-4 success against Young Boys of Switzerland and a 0-0 draw against Metalist 1925 Kharkiv from Ukraine.
Dieter Hecking's team have undergone a revamp over the summer, with nine new signings so far. Many of them are younger player, including a familiar face in Francis Onyeka, who has been loaned from Bayer 04 to Bochum for the season. Further transfer activity cannot be ruled out, according to the media.
Coach Hecking is feeling positive: "On the whole we've had a decent pre-season. Other than Erhan Masovic and Moritz Kwarteng, we've not had any more injuries, which also helps. Every team needs a spine. Nevertheless, the new boys are providing a lot of impetus and the 'older' players are going along with that. There's a healthy competition for places, which I like." However, the veteran tactician also stressed: "When we play with a back four, I'm still not entirely happy with how we're defending. We've still got work to do there before the Leverkusen game."
The Werkself will be supported by 1,400 fans at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. Tickets are still available on the gate, priced at €20 for seating and €12 for standing.
Today's friendly also follows Bochum's blue-and-white family day from 12-17:00. In addition to food and drinks, there will also be various fun and games in the car park at the VfL offices: from bouncy castles and an interactive goal wall to a soccer court, face painting and robot goalkeepers, there will be something for the little ones, the not-so-little ones and the grown-ups.
The match will be broadcast live on Werkself-TV. Coverage begins 10 minutes before kick-off, with commentary in German from Niko Hartmann. As ever, there'll be live score updates on bayer04.de and the Bayer 04 app.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 put in a brilliant performance to beat RB Leipzig 4-1 on Bundesliga matchday 32 and are now fourth in a Champions League spot. The Black and Reds took control of the game right from the start and, with 75 per cent possession at one stage, took a 2-0 lead into the break through Patrik Schick (25’) and Nathan Tella (45+1’). The visitors initially tried to do more after the break, but the Werkself remained determined and Schick scored his second goal to increase the lead to 3-0 (76'). The Red Bulls pulled a goal back through Christoph Baumgartner (80'), but the disciplined Leverkusen side were not rattled - and certainly not Schick: The Czechia international crowned a brilliant display with his third goal shortly before the final whistle to make the final score 4-1.
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In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.
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Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
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