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.
An overview of current ticket sales for Bayer 04 home and away matches in the 2026/27 season.
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Three games, three wins: Bayer 04 secured a 2–0 victory at Greek Cup winners OFI Crete with Jonas Hofmann scoring both goals at the Pankritio Stadium, right on the Mediterranean coast (35’, 38’). As a result, the Werkself have temporarily taken over top spot in the table on Matchday 3 of the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.
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'40 Years Across Europe' - and for the first time ever, Bayer 04 are travelling to Greece's biggest island for a European clash. There they'll take on OFI Crete - full name Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou (‘Association of Sports Friends of Heraklion’) - on Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase. The meeting with the Greek Cup winners kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday 22 October at the Pankritio. We’ll bring you all the latest updates from the trip here…
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Two games – two wins: Bayer 04 have picked up maximum points from their two matches so far in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. What's more, of their previous 14 UEL matches, Bayer 04 have lost just one. Away to OFI Crete, Carles Martínez’s side are looking to add another successful performance on the European stage to their string of impressive displays. The Greeks, for their part, have been waiting four matches for a win, but Leverkusen should be on their guard: OFI’s most recent victory came against a German side. Today's matchday news.
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