The Werkself have played 53 games in the Europa League to date with 29 wins and 103 goals scored – that is more than any other German club in this competition in all three categories (excluding qualifiers).
Bayer 04 have played two of those matches against today's opponents from Hungary: The Werkself beat Ferencváros 2-1 at home in the opening fixture of the Europa League group stage in 2021/22. After the Hungarians took an early lead through Ryan Mmaee (8'), Exequiel Palacios levelled the scores with a fine shot into the top corner before half-time (37'). Florian Wirtz netted the deserved winner for Bayer 04 in the second half (69'). The second leg at the Groupama Arena in Budapest ended in a 1-0 win for Ferencváros with the goal scored by Aissa Laidouni (82'), now playing for Union Berlin, but Leverkusen were already confirmed as the group winners before the match.
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.
Bayer 04 will have to manage without two players in the first leg against Ferencváros: Both Robert Andrich and Exequiel Palacios are sidelined today due to one-match bans. Both were booked in the second leg of the play-off in Monaco and, as the yellow cards from the Champions League ties (Andrich four, Palacios two) are carried over to the Europa League, head coach Xabi Alonso will have to manage without the two holding midfielders. All previous bookings are expunged after the quarter-finals.
Ferencváros are undisputed league leaders in Hungary. With a 14-point lead over second placed Kecskemeti TE, the Green and Whites are on course for their 34th league title. It would also be their fifth in succession. The club have not lost in the league for thirteen games although they have only won one of their last four matches (three draws). The team under Russian coach Stanislav Cherchesov could only manage a 1-1 draw last weekend against seventh-placed Mezökövesd-Zsory SE. After taking an early lead through striker Adama Traoré, the visitors levelled in the first half. More on the personnel, performers and problems for the Hungarians 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. The e-paper is HERE.
UEFA has appointed the Italian Davide Massa as the referee for the match against Ferencváros. This will be the third time in the Europa League that the 41-year-old has been in charge of a game involving the Werkself: Massa previously refereed the goalless draw at FK Krasnodar (Round of 32 in 2018/19) as well as the 2-0 defeat against Young Boys Bern (Round of 32 in 2020/21). Massa's assistants are his fellow countrymen Filippo Meli and Stefano Alassio with Marco Di Bello in action 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 Cedric Pick and 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.
Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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Former Bundesliga and Germany keeper Manfred Manglitz, who was promoted to the Oberliga West with Bayer 04 in 1962, passed away on Monday at the age of 86.
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Justine Brandau and Lobke Loonen joined the Bayer 04 Women’s squad in quick succession this summer. The two Dutch players have been friends since their youth days, and are now playing for the same club for the first time. In an interview at the training camp in Rieden, Brandau and Loonen talk, amongst other things, about their experiences as opponents in the Vrouwen Eredivisie, the dynamic within their new team and their first few weeks in Leverkusen.
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