Following the goalless draw against Union Berlin, the Werkself are now unbeaten in 14 games in succession (ten wins, four draws) – that last happened between September and December in 2017 (also 14 games).
FC Köln have often failed to gain a result against the Werkself in this century: The team from Cologne have only suffered more Bundesliga defeats against Bayern Munich (21) than they have against Bayer 04 (18). Over the same timescale, FC Köln have only lost more Bundesliga away games against Borussia Dortmund (11) than against the Werkself (10, as with Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach).
FC Köln lost at the weekend after a run of four games without defeat. However, the Cologne team produced another convincing performance in the 1-0 home defeat against SC Freiburg. "It's difficult to find the right words when you have such a good game and then end up losing," said FC Köln coach Steffen Baumgart. "The lads gave their all. It's great to see that we're back on track." They came off that track from the middle of February to the beginning of April. FC Köln went six games without a win (four defeats, two draws) and only scored one goal in that run of fixtures with a goal difference of 1 for and 13 against that saw them slip down to thirteenth in the table. The latest on personnel, performers and problems for the team from Cologne can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
Bayer 04 requests everybody to arrive at the BayArena in good time to allow fans to get to their seats in time for kick-off and to avoid long queues at the turnstiles.
Anyone wanting to read the key facts and stats about the derby 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. HERE is the e-paper.
The German Football Association (DFB) have appointed Felix Zwayer as the match referee. The 41-year-old match official has previously been in charge of 29 games involving the Werkself (15 wins, six draws, eight defeats). His assistant referees are Marco Achmüller and Robert Wessel with Dr. Felix Brych in action as the VAR official.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Cedric Pick und Niko Hartmann plus Jens Nowotny. So, tune in.
In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app – just log in.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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