"Perhaps it's time for a surprise as Leverkusen are always good for that. There’s a chance to upset Bayern," said Ottmar Hitzfeld to the Bild Zeitung ahead of the top Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and the Werkself on Saturday 5 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET) at the Allianz Arena.
A key role is played by Bayer 04 head coach Gerardo Seoane, who Hitzfeld described as one of his role models. The 73-year-old on the Swiss coach: "Gerardo Seoane impresses me with his style of leadership. I like his human approach. He always comes over in interviews as objective and calm. You can read a lot between the lines with him. He places great value on communication. You can see a strong bond in the Leverkusen team. That's down to the coach." Hitzfeld's comments in full HERE.
Isaiah Okafor, a winter signing for the Leverkusen U17 team has been called up to the Switzerland U17 squad. The central midfielder will join up with the Swiss youth players at a training camp in Tenero on Largo Maggiore from 15 to 18 March. The squad will then be reduced from 28 to 20 players who will travel on to the elite round held in Silkeborg in Denmark. That will determine which teams progress to the 2022 U17 European Championships in Israel. Switzerland are in qualification group two along with Latvia, Sweden and Denmark.
At the age of 16, Marcel Lotka joined the Bayer 04 U17 squad from Rot-Weiss Essen. The 6 foot 2 goalkeeper spent three years at the Black and Reds, where he played for the youth teams and trained with the senior squad. Lotka was in goal for all four group matches in the UEFA Youth League in 2019/20.
The 20-year-old finally moved up to the senior level in the summer of 2020 when he joined the Hertha Berlin second team. Since then, the former Leverkusen keeper has regularly played in the Regional League North-east – and he recently made his Bundesliga debut. The Duisburg-born goalkeeper produced a decent performance in the 3-0 defeat for the Berliners at SC Freiburg. Just a few days later, Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Lotka on a contract to 2024 with the plan to play him in the BVB U23 team in the third division.
Stefan Kießling is definitely one of the greatest and most successful Werkself players ever – as this number demonstrates: The centre-forward can look back at over 400 Bundesliga appearances. And he broke that barrier 04 years ago today.
The Bayer 04 honorary captain came on as a substitute for Julian Baumgartlinger on 88 minutes in the 2-1 away win against VfL Wolfsburg. Kießling went on to play another three games for the Black and Reds in the top flight. The current first-team squad coordinator made his last appearance on the final day of the season in 2017/18 in a 3-2 home win against Hanover 96 on matchday 34.
Alejo Sarco has left Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join Sporting Gijón in Spain’s second division. Bayer 04 have secured a buy-back clause for the 20-year-old Argentine striker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed 16-year-old midfield prospect Gabriel Minutillo on a long-term contract. The Germany youth international will play for the U19s this season.
Show more
Bayer 04 preparations for the 2026/27 season are in full swing, with the first friendly now under their belts. Although there are still around seven weeks to go until the first Bundesliga home game in early September, there is already huge anticipation for the start of competitive action for head coach Carles Martínez’s team at the BayArena. For the Bundesliga home matches of the new season, here is the latest information regarding the first phase of single-match ticket sales. The tried-and-tested early-bird phase remains in place. From 23 to 31 July, tickets for matches will go on sale on weekdays; the early-bird phase ends on 5 August at the latest – provided tickets are still available by then.
Show more
Bayer 04 will have to manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir for the time being.
Show more
