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.
“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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The Bundesliga is back at the BayArena this Saturday as Bayer 04 play their first home game of the 2026/27 campaign against Union Berlin (15:30 CEST). Moussa Diaby could make his second debut for the Werkself following his return to Leverkusen – and it would be an ideal fixture for the Frenchman. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the encounter in our matchday news.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-1 at TSG Hoffenheim on the 3rd matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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The Bundesliga returns to the BayArena for 2026/27 as Bayer 04 host Union Berlin on Saturday (15:30 CEST) looking for their first points of the season after last week’s opening loss at Elversberg. Head coach Carles Martínez spoke ahead of the game about what he’s learned, the team’s newest signings and who could return to the squad.
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