AS Roma and Bayer 04 have played each other four times in Europe to date with a win for each team plus two draws. Both teams have scored at least one goal in every game. A total of 19 goals with an average of 4.8 per match. The Werkself last met AS Roma in November 2015 in a 3-2 defeat in the Champions League group stage.
The two head coaches of the semi-finalists share a common past: Bayer 04 coach Xabi Alonso was at Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013 under AS Roma’s current coach José Mourinho. During that period, Alonso made 151 appearances for Real Madrid and was the winner 108 times. No other Real Madrid player other than Cristiano Ronaldo (14,140 minutes) played more under Mourinho than Alonso (12,548).
Anyone unable to be at the game today: RTL are broadcasting the match in Germany on free TV with the programme beginning at 20.15 CEST. As usual, Werkself Radio is also available. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann. You can also keep up-to-date via live text commentary to ensure you don’t miss any of the action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
UEFA has appointed Michael Oliver as the match referee. The 38-year-old Englishman has previously been in charge of three games involving the Werkself with the Black and Reds winning all three: 1-0 at Rosenborg BK (Europa League 2012/13), 2-0 at Lokomotiv Moscow (Champions League 2019/20) and 2-0 against Atlético Madrid (Champions League 2022/23). He is assisted by his fellow countrymen Stuart Burt and Lee Betts, with Stuart Attwell– also from England – in action as the VAR official.
Like Bayer 04, AS Roma did not do well in their last match before the semi-final first leg. The Giallorossi lost 2-0 to Inter Milan at the weekend with goals scored by Federico Dimarco and Romelu Lukaku. It was a defeat that represents a severe setback in the race for a Champions League finish in Serie A for the team under coach José Mourinho. Nevertheless, the cult manager did not want to criticise his players. On the contrary, at the post-match press conference Mourinho said: “I’m incredibly proud of my lads. We played against the strongest team in Italy today, against a team who are in the semi-finals of the Champions League. It’s great to see that we weren’t inferior to Inter. The score was 2-0 because they didn’t miss anything in front of goal but we did. But we carry out on, it’s not over yet.” The info on personnel, performers and problems for AS Roma can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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