Bayer 04 and Hertha Berlin have crossed swords 53 times in the Bundesliga to date: The record is clearly in favour of the Black and Reds with 25 wins, 14 draws and 14 victories for the Berlin team. That also applies to games in Leverkusen: The Werkself are ahead with 15 wins four draws and six defeats.
Bayer 04 requests everybody to arrive at the BayArena in good time to allow fans to get to their seats in time for kick-off and to avoid long queues at the turnstiles.
It's that time again: Bayer 04 invites fans to the traditional family matchday, presented by main sponsor Barmenia. The Bundesliga home game between the Werkself and Hertha Berlin will include a special programme of events for young and old in and around the BayArena. Above all, young Werkself supporters will get their money's worth at the stadium as there will be numerous games and activities on the west and east sides of the BayArena. Further information on the family matchday is HERE.
Starting with the home game against Hertha Berlin, Bayer 04 changing recipients of the beaker deposit donations from the BayArena. After a number of games raising a lot of donations for the homeless charity ‘Kältegang Leverkusen’, our partner Wildpark Reuschenberg will now receive the funds from the deposit donations up to the end of the season. In the past between 700 and 1,200 beaker deposit donations are made every matchday. And for future clashes at the BayArena we say: Donate and help.
"Relieved," was probably the most used word by the Hertha players in the Mixed Zone at the Olympic Stadium in describing their mood after the 2-0 win against FC Augsburg. The team under coach Sandro Schwarz overcame their opponents in a tough encounter in driving snow in Berlin. "That was the expected attritional battle," said the Hertha head coach in summing up. Winning was the main thing. How was absolutely irrelevant to them and their fans. "Only the win counts," said Marco Richter who opened the scoring and talked about a "six-pointer" ahead of the game. FC Augsburg are direct rivals in the relegation battle. More on personnel, performance and problems the Berliners can be found in the lowdown on our next opponents.
Anyone wanting to read key facts about the match against Mainz before the game should take a look at the new Werkself LIVE. The matchday flyer, providing important facts and stats on the clash in compact form, is available at the BayArena. The digital version is also available free of charge online. HERE is the e-paper.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Patrick Ittrich as the referee. This will be the eighth game in charge of the Werkself for the 44-year-old referee. Ittrich will have the support of assistant referees Norbert Grudzinski and Thomas Gorniak with Günter Perl acting 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 Niko Hartmann with former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz joining him for the second half. 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.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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