For Amine Adli, the match at Borussia Park is a reunion with his own past – not against a former club but rather a former teammate. The Frenchman joined FC Toulouse at the age of 15 and he developed into a first-team player in the south of France before moving to Leverkusen last summer. In 2016, a year after Adli, Kouadio Koné signed for Toulouse where he played alongside Adli and he became a close friend of his. The central midfielder also moved to Germany in 2021 – to be more exact to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Tonight's match will be the first meeting of the pair at first-team level.
The German Football Association (DFB) have appointed Sascha Stegemann as the match referee. The 37-year-old has only officiated the Werkself once before: In the 2-1 defeat against Arminia Bielefeld in March of last year. Stegemann has refereed 14 games for today's hosts – the Foals came out on top twice. The referee's assistants are Mike Pickel and Frederick Assmuth and the fourth official is Florian Lechner. Have a good game.
Following the 2-2 draw in the opening match against Union Berlin, played behind closed doors at the BayArena due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will be 750 spectators at Borussia Park. This is a result of the new coronavirus protection order from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. There are no tickets for away fans.
Werkself supporters can follow the match on Werkself Radio – the presenters Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann will report live from the stadium – as well as via live text updates on the new Bayer 04 app and at bayer04.de. The match is also broadcast live on the satellite TV channel Sky.
If you believe the statistics then the Werkself had a good chance of a first Bundesliga win since the 7-1 victory over SpVgg Greuther Fürth at the start of September: Bayer 04 have won the last four league matches against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Black and Reds have not had a longer run of wins against any other current Bundesliga side.
Moreover: Anybody who likes goals should definitely not miss the encounter at Borussia Park. The last goalless draw between the two teams was 17 years ago on 3 April 2004. In the 93 meetings of the two clubs there have been an impressive 306 goals.
Less surprising: One player who likes to score against the Foals is Patrik Schick. The Werkself striker, who has netted 17 league goals this season to date, has scored in each of his three Bundesliga appearances against today's opponents.
The former Werkself player René Adler is 36 years old today. The Leipzig-born shot-stopper moved under the Bayer Cross at the age of 15 and he lived for four years with the then goalkeeping coach and Bayer 04 record player Rüdiger Vollborn. The 6 foot 2 keeper was at the Werkself for ten years and he made 173 appearances for the Werkself, 50 for the second team, became a Germany international, was in the 2009 DFB Cup final and was league runner-up with the Black and Reds in 2011. Bayer 04 wish him many happy returns.
Our former number one is not the only one to celebrate: Werner Görts, a former Werkself striker, is 75. The Wuppertal-born player was at Leverkusen for three years from the 1962/63 season. Görts played 25 games in the Oberliga West and 44 in the Regional League West. Nicolai Jörgensen is also celebrating his birthday: The Dane, at Leverkusen from 2010 to 2013, is 30 years old. Many happy returns to both of you.
Adam Ledwon would have been 48 years old today. The midfielder, born in Poland, joined Leverkusen in 1998 and played for the Black and Reds for one season. Ledwon passed away in the summer of 2008 in Klagenfurt.
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.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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