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.
The fourth European away trip of the season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 takes the Werkself to the Greek capital. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday seven in the UCL league phase. The match at the Karaiskakis Stadium is on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET). We'll be taking you on a trip to Athens and reporting on the Werkself close-up...
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A great honour for Bayer 04 Women's German international: as part of the 2025 Sports Awards, Carlotta Wamser entered her name into the City of Leverkusen's Golden Book. On Tuesday, she looked back on a special year in a talk in the Morsbroich Castle hall of mirrors.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Tonight, 20 January (kick-off: 22:00 local time/21:00 CET), Bayer 04 will not only face a familiar face in Panagiotis Retsos, but also an experienced and successful team in their Greek top-flight opponents. The Olympiacos midfield and forward line in particular are peppered with seasoned veterans from top European clubs - but even they will first have to find solutions against the Werkself defence that has recently performed with aplomb in the UCL. The matchday news.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about anticipation for the game. Werkself player Ibrahim Maza also gave an insight into dealing with the recent setbacks.
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