
Leverkusen and Dortmund have both claimed one victory each in this fixture in the last three seasons. The first meeting this campaign ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Werkself back in August. One fact in Bayer 04’s favour is that, even though Borussia won 4-3 here last season, they haven’t been victorious in back-to-back fixtures in Leverkusen since 1991.
The DFL and the 36 clubs across the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are once again supporting German football’s day of remembrance this year. Home games closest to 27 January 2023 (Matchdays 18 and 19) are dedicated to the #WeRemember campaign (‘!Nie wieder’ in German) that remembers the women who were persecuted and murdered because of their resistance to National Socialism. The two teams will come together before kick-off at the BayArena for a photo with the campaign banner.
Anyone wanting to read key information on the game against Dortmund 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 latest programme contains a big poster of Edmond Tapsoba, whose penalty put Bayer 04 a goal up against Bochum during the week. HERE is the e-paper.

BVB have made a perfect start to the new year in terms of points, keeping pace with the teams at the top after wins over Augsburg (4-3) and Mainz (2-1). With half the season’s fixtures played, Dortmund found themselves just two points off Union Berlin in second and five behind leaders Bayern Munich ahead of the weekend’s action. But on reflection, BVB found some words of self-criticism. "We have taken a lot of issues with us that we urgently want to put right," said head coach Edin Terzic after the hard-fought victory at home to Augsburg. And following the victory in Mainz, the 40-year-old admitted: "We’re fortunate winners with almost the last touch. It could’ve gone in all three directions. We’re happy to have started with six points." Read more about the players, the star and the problems with the lowdown on our next opponent.
The DFB have appointed Tobias Welz to oversee the Dortmund game. It’s the 45-year-old’s 13th Bundesliga fixture involving the Werkself. His assistants are Dr. Martin Thomsen and Marcel Pelgrim. Pascal Müller ist he VAR.
As ever, anyone unable to be at the game against Dortmund 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 updates are available on bayer04.de as well as in the Bayer 04 app – join us for the action.

“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-1 derby win at 1. FC Köln Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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