Bayer 04 have won 18 of the 27 Bundesliga home games to date against Bochum (four draws, five defeats) – the Werkself only have a higher points return in home games against FC Augsburg (2.3) than against Bochum (2.1) of all the current Bundesliga clubs. Equally positive: The Black and Reds have scored at least one goal against Bochum in the last 18 Bundesliga home meetings – with an average of 1.9 goals per game). The Werkself do not have a longer run of goals in home games against any other team in the Bundesliga than the one from Castroper Straße.
Get your tickets for the home game Bochum
There is a very special highlight ahead of kick-off at the BayArena: Werkself player Exequiel Palacios, who won the World Cup with Argentina in December, will receive a tribute in front of the fans for winning the biggest title in international football. The Bayer 04 managing directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes will join the fans in paying tribute to the world champion.
For the match against Bochum, Bayer 04 have joined with Bayer Vital in raising awareness of a very special issue and are campaigning under the slogan #stellrebsvomplatz (#sendcanceroff) to promote screening for the early detection of prostate cancer. Before kick-off: Both the Werkself and the Bochum line-ups will come together for a team photo with the campaign banner. A video will also be played showing Lukas Hradecky, Robert Andrich and Kerem Demirbay plus Bayer 04 medical director Carl Heinrich Dittmar promoting screening.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer amongst men with over 60,000 cases per year. Prostate cancer can very often be treated if identified early enough. Only a quarter of men over over 45 take up the offer of screening. “At Bayer 04, we have made urological screening an integral part of medicals,” said Dr. Dittmar.
Three TSV Bayer 04 athletes plus Elisa Senß, captain of the Bayer 04 Women’s team, will be interviewed by stadium announcers Pitti Dahl and Tobias at half-time. The game against Bochum marks the start of the second Bayer Sports Family Week. A ticket for the Bundesliga match can be used for four more home games in Leverkusen. Any fan with a Bochum ticket can watch the Werkself, the Women’s volleyball players, the TSV Bayer 04 Giants, the handball team plus the Bayer 04 Women’s team at their home games in the coming days.
Anyone wanting to read key information on the game against Bochum should get hold of a copy of the latest Werkself LIVE. The matchday magazine, providing facts and stats on the clash, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively, it is available free of charge online. In addition, the current programme contains a big poster of our Argentinean World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios. HERE is the e-paper.
Even though the long winter break has intervened, Bochum can boast a short run of success: The 3-1 victory over Hertha Berlin last weekend was the third Bundesliga win in succession for the team under coach Thomas Letsch. The final two matches of last year saw VfL beat Borussia Mönchengladbach (2-1) and FC Augsburg (1-0). The deserved win against Hertha saw Bochum move up above the relegation zone for the first time since matchday two. The lowdown on our next opponents.
The German Football Association (DFB) have appointed referee Timo Gerach as the match official for the game against Bochum. This is the first Bundesliga match in charge for the 36-year-old. Gerach's assistant referees on the touchline are Dominik Schaal and Robert Wessel with Günter Perl in action as the VAR.
As ever, anyone unable to be at the game against VfL, can follow the match on Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann. In addition, updates are provided by live text to ensure you do not miss anything in the game. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de as well as on the Bayer 04 app – join us.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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