UEFA have appointed experienced Englishman Michael Oliver to oversee the game. The 37-year-old has been a FIFA referee since 2012 and has previously taken charge of two Bayer 04 matches. The first was a 1-0 win at Rosenborg in the 2012/13 Europa League, followed by a 2-0 victory at Lokomotiv Moscow in the 2019/20 Champions League campaign. Oliver will be assisted by compatriots Stuart Burt and Simon Bennett. Chris Kavanagh is the VAR.
Atletico were also one of Leverkusen’s opponents the last time they competed in the Champions League back in 2019/20. In fact, this is the fourth season where Bayer 04 and the Madrid club have come up against each other. Previous encounters were in the 2014/15 round of 16 (Atletico won on penalties), the same stage of 2016/17 (4-2 on aggregate for the Spaniards) and in the aforementioned group stage in 2019/20, when the Werkself won 2-1 at home and lost 1-0 in Madrid.
Both teams probably expected their campaigns to have started differently. While the Werkself are currently second bottom in the Bundesliga, while Atletico themselves won only two of their first four league outings. A win at the weekend after their opening 2-1 victory over Porto in the Champions League perhaps shows signs of improvement. Here’s more on our opponents.
Bayer 04 fans can also have all the most important information to hand in Champions League home games with Werkself LIVE. The flyer, which offers facts and starts on the clash with Diego Simeone’s team, is displayed in the BayArena. It’s also available for free online HERE.
For those who can’t be at the BayArena tonight, they can listen to the Werkself Radio in German. The broadcast starts around half an hour before kick-off. You can also keep up to date with the German live text. Both are available on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-3 loss against Werder Bremen on the 26th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 Women have finished in fifth place after the best Bundesliga season in the club's history in terms of points. Roberto Pätzold's side went down 3-1 at home to SV Werder Bremen on the final matchday. With 46 points and 15 wins, they've bettered the previous record campaign of 2024/25. Despite periods of pressure, Cornelia Kramer's 73rd-minute strike was not enough at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, and the Werkself miss out on European qualification despite a strong end to the season.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a conract extension with home-grown talent Sofie Zdebel by a further year ahead of schedule. The 21-year-old Germany U23 international will stay at the club until 30 June 2028.
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After the final whistle in the home match against Hamburger SV, it showed once again that the Bayer 04 community sticks together. The team thanked the fans for their great support in a season with highs and lows and a sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga. The Black and Reds will compete in the UEFA Europa League next season. The last Werkself review in 2025/26 has all the analysis.
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Bayer 04 could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Hamburg in the final game of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season as they finish in sixth place and qualify for the UEFA Europa League. Patrik Schick missed a first-half penalty before Fabio Vieira put the visitors ahead on the hour. Jarell Quansah’s deflected header in the 79th minute earned a point to finish the campaign.
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