Flight number X3 8904 took off from Cologne/Bonn Airport at exactly 12.10 CET. After 70 minutes in the air, there was a short coach journey from the Václav Havel Airport to the team hotel. The city of Prague, normally popular with tourists, is also affected by the coronavirus pandemic; the streets are emptier than usual in the city on the Voltava river.
For the Black and Red delegation, there was a short break on the agenda after lunch ahead of setting off to the Eden Arena in the late afternoon for the press conference and final pre-match training session. That is the venue for the Europa League clash with Slavia Prague on Thursday night, 29 October (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN, RTL Nitro and Werks11 Radio at bayer04.de)
Following Monday night’s 3-1 home win against FC Augsburg, regeneration was primarily on the agenda for the Werkself. “The game was very intensive. It did us good to have won the game in the end,” recounted Julian Baumgartlinger ahead of the flight to the Czech Republic. Looking at the forthcoming opponents in the Europa League, the 32-year-old sees “a very talented and hard-working team. They showed their quality last year in the Champions League. But we want to play with the dominance we showed against Nice – and again take the three points.”
Let’s take a brief look back at Monday night: It was a decision that set off vocal protests from FC Augsburg players, , coaches and management: 34 minutes into the Werkself home game against FCA (3-1), referee Sören Storks awarded Bayer 04 a free kick. However, the handball in midfield was committed by Exequiel Palacios. In response, the Werkself head coach Peter Bosz ordered the free kick to be played back to Augsburg. “I did issue the instruction but it’s not worth talking about,” said the Dutchman. “That’s all part of fair play.”
From the Europa League via the Bundesliga to the DFB Cup: As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Wednesday, the draw for the second round proper will be on 8 November. The draw will be broadcast live on ARD from 18.30 CET, albeit due to the coronavirus pandemic from the studio in Cologne rather than the German Football Museum in Dortmund. DFB vice-president Peter Frymuth will make the draw.
The Werkself coasted through the first round with a 7-0 victory over Regional League North side Eintracht Norderstedt. The next round of the cup is planned for 22 and 23 December and that also represents the final competitive match in 2020 for Bayer 04.
Nadiem Amiri celebrated his 24th birthday on Tuesday. Bayer 04 send belated congratulations; the Ludwigshafen-born player as been at the Werkself since the summer of 2019. The reason the 24-year-old feels so much at home under the Bayer Cross and the special significance of the Rhine can be read HERE.
Torben Hoffmann, with 19 Bundesliga appearances for the Black and Reds between 1999 and 2001, was also a year old on Tuesday. The Sky reporter is now 46. Again, belated happy birthday, Torben!
A day later than the duo, former Werkself keeper Frank Juric celebrates his birthday on Wednesday – and he is now 47 years old. The Australian was at Leverkusen for five years from 1999, making eleven Bundesliga appearances for the Black and Reds during that time. Since May of last year, Juric has been working as goalkeeping coach at the Australian top-flight club Western United. Bayer 04 send digital birthday greetings to the other side of the world. Best wishes!
Despite a major personnel shake-up in the summer, RB Leipzig have performed impressively this term. Ahead of matchday 15, coach Ole Werner's team are second in the Bundesliga with a three-point lead over their upcoming opponents Bayer 04. This Saturday, 20 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET), the Werkself are away to RBL who are strong at home. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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This year - for the third time - the parents of the Bayer 04 youth players from the U8 to U15 age groups once again took part in the WDR Christmas Miracle. Under the motto "Goals against hunger in the world - parents in goal!", they organised their own fundraising campaign to once again actively support the important WDR campaign. The sum of €3,420 was handed over at the Glashaus in Essen in the middle of the week during the live programme.
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On Tuesday evening, Bayer 04's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer and its employees welcomed some very special visitors to the company's Christmas market at its headquarters in Wuppertal: Werkself players Robert Andrich, Mark Flekken, Loïc Badé, Jarell Quansah and Malik Tillman spent lots of time with Bayer 04 fans of all ages in the early evening – and also helped to serve drinks such as Glühwein (mulled wine) and delicious food.
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The Leverkusen eSports players picked up just one point on Tuesday 16 December in the remaining three matches of the online preliminary round of Showdown Three in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. As a result, the #B04eSports team once again miss out on going through to the offline knockout phase and now head into the winter break.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has always stood for ambition, development, and progress. In recent years, these values have been reflected not only on the pitch, but beyond it. The Werkself continues to grow — regionally, nationally, and now more than ever internationally — and the recent visit from a delegation of our newest international fan club, Bayer4Arab, is a powerful example of this journey.
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