The Werkself have not clocked up as many wins in the Bundesliga against any other club as they have against VfB Stuttgart (40). VfB have only suffered more home defeats in the Bundesliga against Bayern Munich (32) than they have against Bayer 04 (18).
The Werkself have also only lost one of the last 22 matches against VfB (17 wins, 4 draws) – a 1-0 defeat at home in the Bundesliga in April 2018. The Black and Reds have not lost in their last ten visits to Stuttgart (7 wins, 3 draws) – Bayer 04 do not have a longer unbeaten run against any other current Bundesliga club.
Keep calm is the motto for VfB Stuttgart ahead of the last three games of the season. Easier said than done. Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat away to bottom-of-the-table Hertha Berlin was extremely annoying to the Swabians who were unable to exploit their superiority on the pitch, particularly in the second half. More possession (64%), more shots on goal (16-7), a higher pass completion rate (86%) – most of the stats were in favour of VfB. That reflected the great disappointment at the defeat in the capital. More info on personnel, performers and problems for VfB Stuttgart can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Frank Willenborg as the referee for the match against VfB Stuttgart. The 44-year-old has previously been in charge of eight Bundesliga fixtures involving the Werkself (five wins, one draw, two defeats). His assistant referees are Guido Kleve and Dr. Arne Aarnink with Günter Perl in action as the VAR official.
Werkself Radio is available as usual for anyone unable to be at the game today. 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 our 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 Sports Tribunal of the German Football Association (DFB) has fined Bayer 04 Leverkusen €185,000 for spectators setting off pyrotechnic devices during a total of five competitive matches. This relates to four Bundesliga matches and the DFB Pokal semi-final against Bayern Munich. The highest individual fine relates to the away match at FC Köln at the end of April.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 goalkeeper Simeon Rapsch. The Germany youth international goalkeeper has signed a long-term contract with the Werkself running to 30 June 2029. The 18-year-old joined Leverkusen from FC Viktoria Köln in the summer of 2024.
Show more
Ken Izekor is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join third-tier side Alemannia Aachen with immediate effect. The 19-year-old centre-forward joined the club from Alemannia in 2018, and Izekor is now returning to his hometown.
Show more
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
Show more
