The match between the team led by head coach Gerardo Seoane and Porto will be refereed by Anthony Taylor. The 43-year-old match official has previously been in charge of one Werkself match – the 4-0 home win against Real Betis in the 2021/22 Europa League season on 4 November of last year. Taylor's assistant referees tonight are Gary Beswick and Lee Betts with Stuart Atwell acting as the VAR referee. Have a good game!
A perfect record: The Werkself have not lost a single of their six Champions League games against Portuguese teams. Bayer 04 have three wins and a draw against Sporting CP and one win and one draw against their city rivals Benfica. In addition, the Black and Reds have won both of the previous European games against Porto. In the 2019/20 season, the Portuguese side lost 2-1 away and 3-1 at home in the UEFA Europa League.
The Werkself are probably the only team able to boast such an impressive record against Porto. The Portuguese side have won seven of their eight home games against German teams in the Champions League and the other match was a draw. Porto have won all of their last five games against German teams: Schalke 04 (twice), Hamburg SV, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig.
As usual on course in the league but without a point in the Champions League: The Portuguese side are presenting two faces in the different competitions. While last season's league champions and cup winners are as impressive as ever with six wins and one draw from the first eight matches, and have only conceded six goals, it only took two games in the current Champions League campaign before the Portuguese had conceded the same number of goals.
The Dragons are bottom of Group B after the 2-1 defeat in the opening game against Atletico Madrid and the 4-0 home defeat against Club Brugge and are now under pressure to get a result in the next game. Detailed further information on today's opponents from the north of Portugal can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
Anybody not in the away section at the Estádio do Dragão can follow the audio broadcast from Werkself Radio from 30 minutes before kick-off. Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann will again provide the commentary for the match against Porto. You can also keep up-to-date with the action via the live text updates. Both the radio and text updates can be found at bayer04.de as well as on the Bayer 04 app.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have loaned new signing Luca Erlein to newly promoted FC Energie Cottbus for the 2026/27 season. This will give him the opportunity to play in Bundesliga 2. The club signed the 19-year-old right-back on a permanent basis last week, on a contract to 30 June 2030.
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Trophies as a youth, appearances in the pro game and his first taste of international competition: new arrival Luca Erlein, who has been signed from TSG Hoffenheim, can already look back on some remarkable achievements and moments in his fledgling career. We take a closer look at the 19-year-old right-back, who can also fill other roles across the defensive line.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Germany U19 international Luca Erlein from Hoffenheim. The 19-year-old right-back, who is capable of playing in various defensive positions, has penned a contract until 30 June 2030.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new coffee partner. The club has agreed a long-term partnership with the Bocholt-based roastery Imping, running to 30 June 2031. The exclusive partnership with the family-run business includes the installation of fully automatic coffee machines at the BayArena, as well as the right to supply and serve coffee products in the business areas during Werkself home games.
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