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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day six (Friday 7 August) is as follows: This morning, the squad completed their final training session – this time behind closed doors – here in Blankenhain, before heading back to Leverkusen after lunch. The big season launch is scheduled for tomorrow.
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