We didn’t start the New Year well. Of course, we can’t be happy even though we did qualify for the Round of 16 in the cup with the win against Eintracht Frankfurt the week before. One point from the last four Bundesliga games does not live up to our expectations – in spite of strong opponents.
We’re facing one of them today as well. You don’t have to describe Borussia Dortmund’s qualities as they are well-known. But so are our’s. Although we haven’t picked up the points, we have shown a positive trend in the last two games. The first half at Union Berlin was worthy of a top team. The only thing missing was a goal.
We want to do better against BVB. Despite the recent setbacks, a good result could see us move on up. This special season shows that the clubs involved in Europe have to pay the price for a very demanding fixture schedule. That all applies on each and every matchday. The race is a long way from being over.
A word on the events in Berlin on Friday night. It’s always been the case that there can be verbal rough and tumble on the pitch at times. When I was playing, incidents like that were mostly forgotten by the end of the game. Things stayed on the pitch when you shook hands. But these days the players involved and the public are more sensitive. So whoever goes beyond the mark has to live with the consequences. Nevertheless, I believe that a sincere apology means you can deal with an issue in a conciliatory way.
Best wishes, Rudi Völler
Winger Synne Skinnes Hansen is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the end of the season. The 29-year-old, who will be out of contract, is set to join Valerenga IF back home in Norway.
Show moreRüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed to loan U19 striker Artem Stepanov to FC Nürnberg, currently tenth in Bundesliga 2, for the 2025/26 season. The Ukrainian centre-forward is set to gain match practice at a high level under the guidance of FCN coach and World Cup winner Miroslav Klose. The loan is due to run for twelve months.
Show moreThe last home game of the season for the Bayer 04 Women against RB Leipzig on Saturday (12:00 CEST) will be a special experience for fans. As part of the family matchday, Bayer 04 are offering fans a wide-ranging programme of events in and around the Ulrich Haberland Stadium similar to the game against Werder Bremen. This will include three special prizes for supporters to win.
Show more