
Chelsea just took up preparations for the new season this week. After the 3-0 victory in the Club World Cup final against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in mid-July, Enzo Maresca’s team enjoyed a three-week holiday. The clash with the Werkself is the first friendly for the Blues.
The side from west London will not have much time for more matches as the Premier League campaign starts next weekend. Chelsea contest their second and final friendly the day after tomorrow, when they take on AC Milan at Stamford Bridge. Their first league clash will be staged on 17 August, when Chelsea entertain south London rivals Crystal Palace.
Bayer 04 and Chelsea have only faced off twice so far. The Werkself won 2-1 at the BayArena in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2011/12, when Chelsea went on to win Europe’s premier club competition. The London side won the return fixture 2-0. Players like Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry were in action for Chelsea back then, with the likes of Michael Ballack, André Schürrle, Renato Augusto and Simon Rolfes, today’s managing director for sport, featuring for the Black and Reds.
About 350 fans will travel to England to support the Werkself at Stamford Bridge. The Bayer 04 Fan Liaison has compiled all the relevant info for the fans as usual. Click here for the Fan Information!

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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