Werkself fans have cast their votes on Social Media voting: Aleksandar Dragovic, scorer of the winner in the 2-1 victory at Arminia Bielefeld, was the Man of the Match at the Alm. The performance of the Austria international, who replaced Sven Bender on 50 minutes, was recognised by kicker. The sports journal named ‘Drago’ in their Team of the Day.
Bild Zeitung opted for the second goalscorer in the match in East Westphalia: Leon Bailey. The Jamaican opened the scoring on 27 minutes. It is the second time our number nine has been named this season.
A pleasurable sight: The 2-1 victory against Arminia Bielefeld was the fifth league win in succession. As the rivals from Leipzig ‘only’ picked up one point in a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, the team under head coach Peter Bosz are now third in the table on 18 points. The Black and Reds are level on points with second-placed Borussia Dortmund and the champions Bayern Munich are one point ahead of the Werkself after their 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen. It’s tight at the top.
The Bayer 04 eSports players have another double matchday: On Tuesday 24 November, the Leverkusen console players have two games in the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) against clubs in the real second division. The first match at 18.00 CET against Hamburg SV is followed by the game against VfL Bochum at 20.00 CET.
The live show on the club’s Bayer 04 Twitch channel starts at 17.45 CET. Log on and support the #B04eSports players.
Make a note: It kicks off on Tuesday 24 November. Up to 29 November, there are great daily offers for Werkself fans at the Bayer 04 fan shops. Call in every day to make sure you don’t miss out on any offers. There a shirt special on the first day of the Black and Red week of offers – up to 40% discount is available. Anybody thinking of becoming a Bayer 04 member should not miss the opportunity to finally join up at a great price. Click HERE for the online shop.
He was born in Brühl in 1948 and, from 1976 to 2004, he worked in different roles at Bayer 04. Reiner Calmund celebrated his 72nd birthday on Monday and the Werkself wish him many happy returns. 16 years after his departure from under the Bayer Cross, ‘Calli’ is still a legend and popular figure with the fans. He started his Black and Red career as a youth leader and stadium announcer before rising to become a board member and general manager and in 1999 he was the first CEO at Bayer 04 Fußball GmbH. Calmund made his mark on the club as the ‘manager and decision-maker’ and he played a significant role in the club’s biggest successes – the UEFA Cup title in 1988, winning the DFB Cup in 1993, four runners-up finishes and reaching the Champions League final in 2002.
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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After their first win on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase, Olympiacos are still in with a good chance of reaching the play-offs in the UEFA Champions League. The 2024 UEFA Conference League winners will be looking to go one better in their home match against Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), but their stop scorer is unavailable. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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