"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.
Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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