Werder Bremen have only won one of their last eleven games against the Werkself (six draws, four defeats): in a 3-1 victory on Bundesliga matchday 26 in the 2018/19 season. The last time Werder won the fixture at home was in October 2016 (2-1) and since then they have not beaten Bayer 04 in four games on their own turf (two draws, two defeats).
Werkself midfielders Robert Andrich and Exequiel Palacios are back in the squad under head coach Xabi Alonso after missing the Europa League Round of 16 first leg against Ferencváros due to suspension. Holding midfielder Charles Aránguiz is again sidelined through injury.
Werkself player Andrich this week took over the annual patronage of the OSTERMANN Birkenberg soccer school supported by Sportbund Leverkusen e.V.
There was great frustration in the Werder camp last weekend after the 2-1 defeat away to FC Augsburg. The defeat being completely avoidable was the prevailing view for the Green and Whites. "We clearly beat ourselves," said captain Marco Friedl. Coach Ole Werner raised statistics as proof of this statement and they all favoured Werder Bremen: 22 to 9 shots on goal, 81% pass completion, 62% possession – but what use is that if the result is not right in the end. Two things particularly stand out in the error analysis: "Too many chances were squandered" (Mitchell Weiser) and "we weren’t alert enough in crucial situations" (Niklas Schmidt). More on personnel, performance and problems for Werder Bremen in the lowdown on our next opponents.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Deniz Aytekin as the match referee for the game in Bremen. This will be the 35th game involving the Werkself with the 44 year-old in charge. Aytekin will be assisted by Christian Dietz and Eduard Beitinger with Pascal Müller 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 and Niko Hartmann. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss anything in the game. Both Werkself Radio and the live text updates can be found at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app – tune in.
From his arrival at the airport, the medical and contract signing, right through to photo shoots, his very own trading card and his first interview at the BayArena: Werkself TV followed new signing Afonso Moreira up close on his first day in Leverkusen. In the interview, the 21-year-old Portuguese left-winger, who has joined the Werkself from Lyon, talks about his excitement ahead of joining Bayer 04 and the Bundesliga, as well as his conversation with head coach Carles Martínez. Moreira also reveals the secret behind his iconic goal celebration – which he intends to perform “as often as possible” at the BayArena next season...
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A new signing for the U19s: Bayer 04 have signed winger Clinton Wilson from Schalke 04. The 18-year-old previously played for Leverkusen youth teams from January to June 2024.
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After eight years, Ida Daedelow is set to leave Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The 18-year-old, whose original contract was due to run to 2027, is joining second-division side VfL Bochum.
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As with the other youth teams (U16 to U19), Bayer 04 are also relying on familiar faces—some in new roles—and fresh impetus from the coaching staff for the 2026/27 season in the younger age groups. An overview of the U11 to U15 teams.
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