
Tonight's referee is the Frenchman Clement Turpin. This will be the second time the 40-year-old has been in charge of a game involving the Werkself. Turpin will have the support of his fellow countrymen Nicolas Danos and Cyril Gringore as assistant referees and Jerome Brisard is the VAR referee. Have a good game.
The Werkself have shown their ability to penetrate recently when the opponent has been Atlético Madrid: Leverkusen have won the last two Champions League matches against the Spanish side with both wins coming at home. The Rojiblancos are unbeaten against the Black and Reds in four European matches in Madrid – with two wins plus two draws from meetings in the Europa League and the Champions League.
The Spaniards have an even better record against German teams: Atlético Madrid have gone unbeaten in European competition in the last 11 home games against German clubs (eight wins, three draws). Borussia Dortmund were the last team to win in Madrid back in October 1996. In those eleven games, Atletico have only conceded four goals and never more than one per game. So the Spaniards are solid as ever at the back but less impressive up front recently: The Rojiblancos have not scored in the last three Champions League games. The last time they went four games without scoring in this competition was before Diego Simeone took the helm as head coach. That was between March and October 2009 when Abel Resino was in the dugout.
Just over four weeks ago, the two teams meeting in the first match between the Werkself and Atlético Madrid were not performing at the start of their league campaigns as expected. The Spaniards have made amends and are now again on top form: The Rojiblancos have picked up 13 out of a possible 15 points in La Liga and did not lose a single game in the league in October. The Madrid side have gradually moved up the table and are now the main pursuers of the two big clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. More on the current form and line-up of the Spanish side can be found in our update on our next opponents.
Anyone unable to be at the game tonight can tune into Werkself Radio 30 minutes before kick-off. Cedric Pick is your commentator for the action in Madrid. There are also live text updates to keep you up-to-date with the match. Both Werkself Radio and the text updates can be found at bayer04.de as well as on the Bayer 04 app.

After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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