In last Saturday's derby, Leon Bailey was in the starting eleven for the first time under new Werkself head coach Hannes Wolf. The Jamaican immediately repaid the confidence of the boss with a brace and an assist in the 3-0 home win against FC Köln. "He had a very good game and was really important for us. He was very disciplined on the pitch" declared Wolf after the final whistle.
Bailey not only has good memories of the last Bundesliga match. The last time Bayer 04 visited Munich, the winger also bagged a brace: The Werkself won 2-1 at FC Bayern in November 2019 with the 23-year-old scoring twice in the first half. That result was the first defeat for the hosts up to then under head coach Hansi Flick.
Hopefully the fifth-last matchday of the current season will be a successful one for the Werkself and Bailey, who turned up for the final pre-match training session on Monday with red hair (see photo below). After picking up seven points in three games, head coach Wolf is looking to get a result in Munich with the Black and Reds and thereby take another step forward in the direction of European qualification.
The German Football Association (DFB) have announced the match officials for the Werkself Bundesliga match in Munich: Guido Winkmann is in charge of proceedings from 20.30 CEST. The 47-year-old police officer has previously refereed 21 Werkself matches. From a Black and Red perspective, there have been 16 wins and four draws as well as 35 yellow cards and one sending off. Moreover: Winkmann was also the referee in the previously mentioned 2-1 win for Bayer 04 away to FCB in November 2019...
One goal conceded in the last three Bundesliga matches and two clean sheets on the bounce: The Werkself have rediscovered their defensive strength in the first games under Hannes Wolf. If there is a clean sheet after 90 minutes against FC Bayern then the Wolf team could celebrate the longest run without conceding a goal in the top-flight since the spring of 2016 (back then 5 – a club record).
If you look at the Bundesliga table ahead of matchday 30 you will see: The gap to the Champions League spot of fourth place has shrunk in comparison to the week before. In addition to the Werkself’s 3-0 victory over FC Köln, fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt failed to pick up any points at the weekend. That means there is a six-point deficit to the Champions League spots.
With the impressive comeback by the Black and Reds in 2018/19, the gap after 29 matches was seven points – in the end the Werkself finished fourth and qualified for Europe's premier club competition. For that to happen this year, of course, other results will be needed as well as victories for the Werkself.
In addition to TV partner Sky, Werks11 Radio will be on air again for the Bundesliga cracker in Munich. Cedric Pick, this time without his fellow commentator Niko Hartmann due to illness, will be broadcasting live from the Allianz Arena from 20.00 CEST.
Both Werkself fans and Pick may not only recall the last meeting in Munich due to the final result but also that Pick was assisted on the microphone by an absolute commentator legend, Fritz von Thurn und Taxis. His comments were, as usual, unique: This match is better than every episode of 'Tatort'. You don't need to switch on the TV on Sunday. This is a thriller here!" So long as another thriller on Tuesday night has the same happy ending then we would be happy…
Where is he now… Robson Ponté? Bayer 04 signed the Brazilian from his home country in the summer of 1999. It was the first club in Europe for the attacking midfielder. He went on to play for Bayer 04 for two years before going on loan to VfL Wolfsburg for the same period of time. He then returned to Leverkusen for another two seasons with his four years at the Werkself producing 79 Bundesliga appearances. He finally moved on to Japan where he won numerous titles with the Urawa Reds. Ponté hung up his boots in 2011.
After several years away from professional football, Ponté is now back in the limelight as member of club management: As the vice-president of the Portuguese top-flight side Portimonense SC, he is currently in negotiations with at least one Bundesliga club with Portimonense striker Beto the transfer target. According to media reports, Ponté's former club Wolfsburg are the club involved.
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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