A look at the stats from a Black and Red perspective is encouraging: The Werkself have beaten Eintracht Frankfurt eight times in succession across all competitions – the longest run of home wins against a current Bundesliga club. The two teams are not giving anything away in this Bundesliga campaign. Eintracht are just ahead of the Werkself in sixth place with 41 points and Bayer 04 are seventh waiting to pounce with one point less.
The Werkself will go above Eintracht with a home win. The team under head coach Xabi Alonso would move up to sixth place with a seventh win on the bounce – Bayer 04 have not been that high up the table so far this season.
After a run of seven games without a win, Eintracht Frankfurt won again on Tuesday in the 2-0 victory in the DFB Cup quarter-final against Union Berlin. The team from Hessen produced a very convincing performance for much of the game. "We played brilliantly in the first half and the lads produced a great display overall," said head coach Oliver Glasner. Further information on Eintracht's squad, performers and problems is available in our lowdown on the next opponents.
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.
Anyone wanting to read key facts about the match against Eintracht Frankfurt before the game should take a look at the new Werkself LIVE. The matchday magazine is available at the BayArena and the digital version is also available free of charge online. HERE is the e-paper.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Robert Hartmann as the match referee foot today's game. The 43-year-old match official has previously been in charge of 17 games involving the Werkself. His assistant referees are Christian Leicher and Dr. Arne Aarnink with Günter Perl 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 und Niko Hartmann. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text updates can be found at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app – tune in.
Werkself player Karim Bellarabi today celebrates his 33rd birthday – many happy returns. Bellarabi joined Bayer 04 in the summer of 2011 and he played his first game for the Black and Reds in the derby against FC Köln on 17 September that year. Since then the Berlin-born forward, now the longest-serving Werkself player, has made 213 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04. The winger has scored 34 goals and provided 48 assists in those matches.
The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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The champions of Slovenia NK Celje are in a European competition for the fourth time in their history. This Wednesday, 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the side lead by head coach Vitor Campelos visit the BayArena for matchday 1 in the group stage in the UEFA Europa League. Celje’s last match at the weekend did not go to plan. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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