It was an acoustic topic of discussion in the TV broadcast, in the press box and even inside the BayArena. While the Werkself were playing their home game against Hoffenheim (4-1) on Sunday night, a large number of festively decorated tractors brought attention to themselves with loud honking of horns.
Farmers from the region carried out their second procession on the third Sunday in Advent with their illuminated tractors making their way through the Leverkusen residential areas. "With this event, we wanted to spread a bit of joy amongst the people during this time of the pandemic," was the view of the organiser. "And we didn't miss the chance to send a suitable greeting to our league leaders." On the second Sunday in Advent, the column of tractors visited children's and care homes for the elderly and distributed a large number of gingerbread men. A great event.
And this community project, which Bayer 04 are involved with, has also produced positive headlines: The fan liaison at the current Bundesliga league leaders have called for donations in recent days and weeks. That resulted in the donation of 86 gift boxes and commodity contributions plus Christmas biscuits and more. The donations were distributed at food stations run by the volunteer homeless support group ‘Kältegang Leverkusen’.
Back to football: The home win against Hoffenheim not only brought another three points to the Werkself but also top spot in the Bundesliga for the first time since matchday three in the 2014/15 season. The head coach then was Roger Schmidt who was at Leverkusen from 2014 to 2017. The current coach of PSV Eindhoven can look back at 61 wins and 29 draws with Bayer 04. The Black and Reds ended that season in fourth place with a total of 61 points.
It was not only Werkself fans who honoured Leon Bailey for his brace against TSG with the title of Man of the Match. Journalists also highlighted the performance of the Jamaican. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and the Rheinische Post awarded top marks to Bailey who was also included in the team the day by kicker. Youngster Florian Wirtz and stalwart Julian Baumgartlinger were awarded high marks in the Stadt-Anzeiger.
The 18-year-old Samed Onur did not play against Hoffenheim but he did make his first-team debut last week in the 4-0 home win against Slavia Prague. Thanks to his first appearance under head coach Peter Bosz, Onur is now listed in the Werkself squad on bayer04.de. Up-and-coming talents Emrehan Gedikli and Cem Tuna Türkmen made their debuts previously in the Europa League. Click HERE for Onur’s profile.
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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