Bayer 04 headed to the Ruhr area yesterday evening to the team hotel in Essen. Lukas Hradecky and Co. have a communal walk, a short meeting this morning and then lunch.
The circumstances could not be better: All 81,365 tickets for the game at the Signal Iduna Park have been sold so BVB and Bayer 04 meet in front of a full house. 5,294 fans from Leverkusen will be cheering on the Werkself tonight.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Dr Felix Brych as the referee. The 47-year-old has been in charge of 41 games involving the Werkself to date and the last time was a 2-0 away win at Wolfsburg on matchday 27 last season. Brych will be assisted by Mark Borsch and Robert Kempter, Patrick Alt is the fourth official. Have a good game.
A lot has changed on and off the pitch at Borussia Dortmund. Under head coach Edin Terzic, a spirit of optimism developed during the preseason also due in part to the signing of high quality players. BVB have brought in the Germany international players Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle and Karim Adeyemi. How tonight’s hosts performed in the DFB Cup and the performance and problems they have can be found in the lowdown on our next opponents.
The last draw between the two Bundesliga top teams at the Signal Iduna Park was on 31 January 2009 (1-1). A good omen for the Werkself: Last season the games were won by the away team with an impressive seven goals per match (a 4-3 win for Borussia Dortmund, a 5-2 victory for Bayer 04).
The Werkself matches this season will again be broadcast on Werkself Radio. Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann will today report live from the Signal Iduna Park. The broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off at 18.00 CEST and is available on the Bayer 04 app or at bayer04.de.
Two sevens for Wilhelm ‘Willi’ Haag: The man from the Rhineland Palatinate, who played for the Werkself in 1967 to 1970, today celebrates his 77th birthday. Bayer 04 wish him all the best for the coming year.
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.
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