The Werkself lost 1-0 in the semi-final first leg in Rome. Both teams gave nothing away from the start of the match at the Stadio Olimpico and clear-cut chances were few and far between. Edoardo Bove scored the only goal of the game on 63 minutes.
The stats for AS Roma in away games in Germany are very promising from a Bayer 04 perspective: The Italian club has only won two of their last 15 away games against German clubs in European competitions (one draw, 12 defeats). These wins were against FC Nürnberg in 1988 and Hamburg SV in 2000 – the Italians have failed to win in their last five European games in Germany (one draw, four defeats).
It was an almost picture-perfect matchday for Roma. Nearly all their direct rivals for European spots dropped points in the Serie A at the weekend. The defeats for Atalanta (1-0 at US Salernitana) and AC Milan (0-2 at Spezia Calcio) plus the draw for city rivals Lazio (2-2 against Lecce) played into the hands of the team under coach José Mourinho. But AS Roma, in seventh place ahead of matchday 35, were unable to fully take advantage of the situation. The Giallorossi only managed a 0-0 draw away to Bologna on Sunday evening. Nevertheless, Roma were able to move above Atalanta into sixth place in Serie A, two points behind AC Milan in fifth and Lazio in fourth. Qualification for the Champions League via Serie A is highly unlikely with three games to play. The route to the Champions League – as for the Werkself – is exclusively via winning the Europa League. The team news and how Mourinho has prepared the AS Roma players for tonight’s match can be found in our lowdown on our next opponents.
In addition to the many, many Werkself fans, other special Black and Red supporters will be at the BayArena as Bayer 04 has invited the UEFA Cup winners from 1988 to the game. That includes Reiner Calmund, Gerd Kentschke, Falko Götz, Thomas Hörster, Knut Reinhardt and Rüdiger Vollborn. Today’s date is also a good omen: The Werkself celebrated their title win exactly 35 years ago on 18 May 1988. Who knows, perhaps the honoured guests may bring us luck. At least they know how to win a European competition...
Anyone wanting to know the key stats and facts ahead of the clash with the Italian side can take a look at the matchday magazine. It is available at the BayArena and also free of charge online. HERE is the e-paper.
UEFA has appointed Slavko Vincic as the referee for the second leg. This will be the first time the 43-year-old Slovenian has been in charge of the game involving the Werkself. He will be assisted by his fellow countrymen Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic on the touchline and the VAR official is Nejc Kajtazovic - also from Slovenia..
To ensure that all fans can be in their seats for the start of the game and to avoid long queues at the turnstiles, Bayer 04 request supporters to arrive in good time at the BayArena.
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.
The weekend, including the Bundesliga home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, is round the corner. Before the Werkself play the last home game of the season at the BayArena on Sunday evening (19.30 CEST), sporting managing director Simon Rolfes and his predecessor Rudi Völler (now DFB sporting director) will be live on TV. Rolfes is on the broadcast ‘Lage der Liga’ (Situation in the league) on BILD TV from 09.00 CEST, Völler is on the SPORT1 programme ‘Doppelpass’ from 11.00 CEST. Both broadcasts are available free of charge onlin
Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
Show more
Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
Show more
In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
Show more
The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
Show more
