Joel Pohjanpalo appears to be unlucky with injuries. On Sunday, the Finland team including Lukas Hradecky clocked up a 2-1 against Bulgaria in the UEFA Nations League – an injury brought the game to an early end for Pohjanpalo on 35 minutes. A negative diagnosis followed on Monday, “a serious injury to the left ankle,” as announced by FC Union Berlin, where the striker is under contract to the end of the season. The 26-year-old will now undergo an operation and is set to be out of action for an extended period. A lot of Danger fans will be concerned when they hear ‘ankle’ and ‘Pohjanpalo’ in the same sentence as the striker was sidelined for 437 days on 2018/19. Back then, he suffered a protracted circulation problem in his right ankle. Keep your head up, Jolle! We wish you a speedy recovery.
The France U21s beat Switzerland 3-1 in a Euros qualifier on Monday night. Moussa Diaby came on for ‘Les Bleus’ on 82 minutes. The France U21s have not lost a single game in Group B of the qualifying rounds for the forthcoming European Championships. The team secured qualification for the Euros with a 5-0 victory over Liechtenstein in their previous group match. Bayer 04 teammate Edmond Tapsoba and his Burkina Faso side drew 0-0 with Malawi in an Africa Cup qualifier. Burkina Faso are currently top of Group B. There are still two games to play.
Germany are away to Spain in the Nations League on Tuesday night at 20.45 CET (live on ARD). The Werkself duo Jonathan Tah and Nadiem Amiri are hoping to play in Seville. A win would seal top spot in the group for Germany in League A. Ahead of the clash, second-placed Spain, with eight points, are on the heels of Germany (nine points).
Today is also a matchday for Florian Wirtz and Lennart Grill. The Germany U21s play Wales in a Euro qualifier (18.15 CET, live on Pro7 Maxx). Germany are level on points with Wales. If Bosnia-Herzegovina help out by beating Belgium, then a win for the Germany U21s under Stefan Kuntz would put them top of Group 9.
The Bayer 04 eSports duo Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin and Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ De Cae are in action in matchdays 3 and 4 in the Virtual Bundesliga on Tuesday afternoon. From 16.30 CET the opponents are SC Paderborn 04 and 20.00 CET sees the start of the clash on the console with FC St. Pauli. For the start of the new VBL season, Wollin and De Cae clocked up two wins on the double matchday against Holstein Kiel and VfL Wolfsburg. Now the Black and Red duo are defending top spot in the table. Both matches are live on Twitch.
A Bayer 04 legend and honorary captain has his birthday! Bernd ‘Schnix’ Schneider is 47 today (Tuesday). The midfielder joined Bayer 04 in 1999 and played for the club for ten years. Schneider had his heyday under the Bayer Cross: In 2003/04, the now 47-year-old was one of the most prolific players in the Bundesliga with ten goals. He made 366 appearances for the Black and Reds and scored 52 goals – and 80 assists also deserve a mention. With the Werkself in 2002, he was runner-up in the league, DFB Cup and Champions League finalist. ‘The white Brazilian’ ended his playing career in 2009 and is now working as a players agent. Happy Birthday, Schnix!
Despite a major personnel shake-up in the summer, RB Leipzig have performed impressively this term. Ahead of matchday 15, coach Ole Werner's team are second in the Bundesliga with a three-point lead over their upcoming opponents Bayer 04. This Saturday, 20 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET), the Werkself are away to RBL who are strong at home. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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This year - for the third time - the parents of the Bayer 04 youth players from the U8 to U15 age groups once again took part in the WDR Christmas Miracle. Under the motto "Goals against hunger in the world - parents in goal!", they organised their own fundraising campaign to once again actively support the important WDR campaign. The sum of €3,420 was handed over at the Glashaus in Essen in the middle of the week during the live programme.
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On Tuesday evening, Bayer 04's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer and its employees welcomed some very special visitors to the company's Christmas market at its headquarters in Wuppertal: Werkself players Robert Andrich, Mark Flekken, Loïc Badé, Jarell Quansah and Malik Tillman spent lots of time with Bayer 04 fans of all ages in the early evening – and also helped to serve drinks such as Glühwein (mulled wine) and delicious food.
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The Leverkusen eSports players picked up just one point on Tuesday 16 December in the remaining three matches of the online preliminary round of Showdown Three in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. As a result, the #B04eSports team once again miss out on going through to the offline knockout phase and now head into the winter break.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has always stood for ambition, development, and progress. In recent years, these values have been reflected not only on the pitch, but beyond it. The Werkself continues to grow — regionally, nationally, and now more than ever internationally — and the recent visit from a delegation of our newest international fan club, Bayer4Arab, is a powerful example of this journey.
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