Bayer 04 is showing its true colours: As with World Prematurity Day (purple) and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (orange), the BayArena will again be lit up today. As part of the 15th Rare Disease Day, the Leverkusen home ground will be lit up from 18.30 CET in the colours pink, blue, green and purple changing every minute. The Werkself is thereby making a clear statement for a diverse society.
Background to the day of action: 300 million people worldwide live with chronic and rare diseases. Since 2008, the umbrella organisation of the Allianz Chronischer Seltener Erkrakungen e.V. (ACHSE) in Germany raises awareness of the campaign every year on the last day in February and calls for more research, therapies and treatments as well as a better, longer life for those affected. In addition, the campaign is also about social acceptance and participation. Many of the 8,000 diseases classified as "rare" are associated in part with severe physical and mental disability.
Back to sport: Following the fifth win in the seventh Bundesliga match for Bayer 04 in 2022, several Werkself players have received praise in the media. Kicker awarded top marks for the performances by Florian Wirtz, Moussa Diaby and Edmond Tapsoba And the trio were also named in the kicker team of the matchday. Wirtz and Diaby are also included in the side named by the BILD newspaper.
TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen can look back at a successful weekend: The athletes won gold, silver and bronze at the German Indoor Championships in Leipzig. Congratulations to the medal winners Torben Blech, Bianca Stichling, Christoph Garritsen, Mateusz Przybylko, Judith Franzen, Franziska Schuster, Amelie Dierke and Annkathrin Hoven.
Bayer 04 as the first club abroad: The Polish centre-forward Arkadiusz Milik decided to join Leverkusen at the age of 18 in January 2013. The 6 foot 1 forward played for the Black and Reds for six months before loan periods at FC Augsburg and Ajax a season later. He signed for the top Dutch club in the summer of 2015. After being at Napoli, Milik is now playing for Olympique Marseille in France – and he has scored 16 goals in 26 games. The former Werkself player today celebrates his 28th birthday. Many happy returns.
The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
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A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
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For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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