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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Women's coach Roberto Pätzold have agreed an extension to their successful partnership. The 45-year-old has agreed a one-year contract extension to 30 June 2027 following the best Bundesliga season in the history of the Women's team.
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Bayer 04 have signed Tim Oermann on a contract to 2029. The central defender, who can also play at right-back, joins the Werkself from VfL Bochum following their relegation from the Bundesliga. Bayer 04 will loan out the Germany U21 international to the Austrian champions SK Sturm Graz for the 2025/26 season. Bayer04.de profiles Oermann.
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Bayer 04 have signed defender Tim Oermann. The central defender, who can also play at right-back, joins the Werkself from VfL Bochum following their relegation from the Bundesliga. The 21-year-old has a contract to 30 June 2029. Bayer 04 will loan out the Germany U21 international to the champions of Austria SK Sturm Graz for the 2025/26 campaign.
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The Silver Boot award from the VDV players union: Werkself player Florian Wirtz has again been voted Bundesliga Player of the Season for 2024/25 by his fellow professionals following on from his win last season in 2023/24.
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