
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.

Bayern Munich come to the BayArena this Saturday with an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga as they look to take a step closer to the title. As imperious as they may seem, a weakness has emerged of late that the Werkself proved they can exploit in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League. Leverkusen are also looking to make it four Bundesliga home games unbeaten against the Bavarians. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the 15:30 CET kick-off in our matchday news.
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Another home game, another top opponent - another marker? Three days after their convincing performance in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, Bayer 04 continue their Bundesliga campaign with an equally high-calibre fixture. Matchday 26 sees league leaders Bayern Munich visit the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about a comparison between Arsenal and the Bavarians, Bayern's high-scoring performance in Europe's premier club competition and a return to the squad for one Werkself player.
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High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
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They're well on their way to becoming German champions for the 35th time and once again proved their incredible class in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. This Saturday, 14 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET), Bayern Munich will be the visitors to the BayArena. It'll be a meeting of the two Bundesliga teams with the most dominant styles of play. A look at our opponents shows the visitors from the Bavarian capital have many strengths - but are also vulnerable.
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Sofie Zdebel is up for the Goal of the Month award for February on ARD-Sportschau. Fans have until 21 March (19:00 CET) to vote for the Germany U23 international's volley to make it 2-0 in the Bayer 04 Women's derby against FC Köln (2-1).
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