Bayer 04 supporters will be happy to recall 16 December 2020 when the Werkself held on to top spot in the Bundesliga with a brilliant 4-0 away win at FC Köln. It was the 25th win in the 65th meeting with the Goats in the top flight – with 24 games ending in draws. Werkself head coach Hannes Wolf is set to experience his first derby with Bayer 04.
Interesting facts and stats on #B04KOE are available in the brand new BayArena Aktuell along with other exciting news from the Black and Red world plus an interview with midfield dynamo Exequiel Palacios.
HERE is the online matchday magazine BayArena Aktuell.
Saturday is not only really special because of the derby for Charles Aránguiz: Our number 20 celebrates his 32nd birthday and he could be leading the team out for the first time against FC Köln since being appointed captain at the start of the campaign. The Chilean missed the 4-0 win in the first half of the season due to injury.
The match officials for the derby have been confirmed: The clash with FC Köln on Saturday night will be refereed by Sören Storks. His assistants are Thorben Siewer and Thorsten Schiffner. Daniel Siebert is the VAR referee in the studio in Cologne.
DFL CEO Christian Seifert has initially ruled out a suspension of the Bundesliga season in spite of several coronavirus cases at Hertha Berlin. The Berlin team are currently in self-isolation and will not complete their next three fixtures. The German Football League (DFL) is not currently considering the suspension of the season, the 51-year-old reported on Bild live.
“It’s clear we have time to end the season in the normal way with matters being settled on the pitch rather than in committee rooms,” said Seifert. “If we see the season looks different in two weeks then we’ll reconsider the position.”
The release period for the Euros starting on 11 June begins on 31 May and there could be problems with the schedule with more rearranged Bundesliga fixtures. The final matchday in Germany’s top flight is on 22 May.
The former Bayer 04 player Patrick Helmes will take over as the head coach of Regional League side Alemannia Aachen for next season. The 37-year-old has agreed a long-term deal and he replaces the interim coach Kristoffer Andersen.
During his career the Cologne-born striker played for the Werkself from 2008 to January 2011. Helmes made 57 Bundesliga appearances and scored 28 goals in that time. After retiring in 2015, the 13-time international became a coach.
Up to now, Helmes has coached the FC Köln second team, Rot-Weiß Erfurt and most recently the Austrian Bundesliga team FC Admira Wacker Mödling. Between the jobs in Erfurt and Austria he was a youth coach at Bayer 04.
Fans at the BayArena got to enjoy a spectacle on Wednesday as the Werkself came from behind to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the DFB Pokal. Now with the sixth home game of the season, can Bayer 04 maintain their perfect record in Leverkusen as VfB Stuttgart come to town in the Bundesliga on Saturday (15:30 CET)? The visitors have had issues domestically this term, sitting in 15th place, although they have had much better results in the UEFA Champions League. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 8 encounter…
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Three days after the spectacular comeback in the DFB Pokal tie against FC Nürnberg (5–2), the Werkself face their next challenge in the Bundesliga. On Saturday, 31 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET), Bayer 04 host VfB Stuttgart, currently 15th in the table, at the BayArena. Ahead of the match, Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about important factors in preparing for this next game given a tight fixture list.
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Despite VfB Stuttgart performing well in the Champions League, they are facing a difficult spell early on in the Bundesliga. Three days after their last-minute victory in the DFB Pokal at SC Paderborn 07, the Swabians can now take to the pitch at the BayArena with greater confidence on Saturday, 31 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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