Bayer 04 have two games to play this term. After the goalless draw at Bremen and the day off at the start of the week, the focus of captain Charles Aránguiz and Co. will be completely on the next match from Tuesday – and it promises to be a good one: On Saturday, 15 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), Union Berlin visit the BayArena. A win against the team in eighth place would put the Werkself in the Europa League next season. To ensure the best possible preparation, head coach Hannes Wolf will hold training sessions every day this week.
Players, coaches and staff can still sleep at home with their families. Following training on Wednesday, the quarantine training camp decided by the German Football League (DFL) will start. In the period up to the last game of the season at Borussia Dortmund (22 May), the Bayer 04 team and staff will stay at the Lindner Hotel BayArena and be on the training ground.
Germany team doctor Tim Meyer believes it is realistic to see fans back for the start of the next Bundesliga season. “It definitely won’t be 100 per cent full straight away but hopefully games behind closed doors will not be needed if we assume the predictions regarding the infections are correct,” according to the head of the sports medicine/ special match in the Welt am Sonntag.
Regarding the start of the 2021/22 season on 13 August, Meyer said: “I hope and believe the protective measures can be significantly reduced next season.” The basis for the return of fans to stadiums is reduced incidence and, above all, a high rate of vaccinations.
Do you remember? Exactly eleven years ago, the farewell game for Bernd ‘Schnix’ Schneider was staged at the BayArena. Pure excitement, emotional words, numerous contemporaries on the pitch and 20,000 frenetic Werkself fans – it was a perfect stage for the last performance by our legendary number 25. HERE is the report from Bayer 04 TV again.
One year before Bernd Schneider joined Leverkusen, a certain Christian Wörns left the Werkself in 1998. The Mannheim-born player held the Leverkusen defence together for seven years. Wörns was in the Bayer 04 team that won the DFB Cup in 1993. He ended his playing career in 2008 and is now the coach of the Germany U19 team. Bayer 04 wish Wörns many happy returns on his 49th birthday.
The former Werkself head coach Jupp Heynckes celebrated his 76th birthday on Sunday. He was the Bayer 04 coach from 2009 to 2011. Belated congratulations, Don Jupp!
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
Show more
After being nominated for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025, Martin Terrier's wonderful strike for the opener against FC Köln is now also up for selection for the ARD Sportschau Goal of the Month award for December 2025. Bayer 04 fans have until 19:00 CET on 10 January to vote for the French forward.
Show more
After a break of almost two weeks, the Bayer 04 Women begin preparing for games in 2026 on Sunday. Bayer04.de provides an overview of the dates at the start of the second half of the season.
Show more
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show more
