Bayer 04 against VfL Wolfsburg in front of 30,210 fans – that would be great! But the coronavirus pandemic continues to restrict public life in Germany and Bundesliga matches will be played behind closed doors at least until the end of the season. So, do what Jens Nowotny does: Follow the hygiene and safety regulations and take your 'regular berth' for the end of the season run-in. Do it like 'Jenne' and make yourself comfortable in front of the television to get behind the Werkself from home. Tonight’s match will be broadcast live on Sky. And, of course, Werkself Radio will again be there at the kick-off: Niko and Cedric are your commentators for the match – live and free of charge (in German) at bayer04.de or on the app. Highlights of the game will be shown on ARD Sportschau tonight at 22.45 CET.
Kick-off at the BayArena is at 20.30 CET – but it is worth getting into football mode half an hour earlier. From 20.00 CET, Bayer 04 again broadcast 'Spieltag -Die Show' live on YouTube to get the fans in the mood for the game. The guest this time is club legend Rüdiger Vollborn. We will also go over to our stadium announcers Pitti and Tobi at the BayArena for the team line-ups. Of course, Dirk Maverick will again sing the club anthem – joining in is welcome and desired! Then Werkself Radio will take over for the kick-off. Tune in!
Since last autumn, the Bayer 04 ground staff have had a machine that has come to the fore during the coronavirus pandemic. The UFC180 is like a grass cutter that transmits UV rays. "Due to the fact that certain pesticides are no longer approved, we've had to look round for new possibilities in looking after the pitch," explained Georg Schmitz, head groundsman at Bayer 04. And that's where the UFC180 comes in: The UV rays kill fungal infections before they can attack the grass. Scientists have also discovered that UV rays can destroy corona viruses. That means the BayArena pitch is now regularly ‘disinfected’. Schmitz and his team need one and a half hours to cover the whole pitch.
Referee Daniel Schlager is in charge of tonight's match between the Werkself and VfL Wolfsburg. For the match official from Hügelsheim in South Baden, it will be the 18th Bundesliga match in his career and the second game involving the Werkself. In January he refereed the home game against Fortuna Düsseldorf that ended in a 3-0 win for the Bosz team. Since the suspension of the league, instead of the previous two days notice, the DFB now announces the match officials on the day of the game after referees have been tested for coronavirus.
The former Bayer 04 player Peter Szech would have celebrated his 67th birthday today. Szech joined the then second division Bayer 04 in 1978/79. He played a big part in promotion to the top-flight with his 15 goals in his first season at Leverkusen. In a total of 153 appearances for the Werkself, the Essen-born player scored 39 goals. Szech died at the age of 60 as a result of a motorcycle accident on 3 March 2014.
The Bayer 04 players were put through their paces at the Werkstatt – the club’s rehabilitation and training centre – on Sunday as they completed the first and main part of this year’s performance diagnostics. New signings Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Axel Tape, as well as players returning from their holidays, all did the customary medical and athletic tests.
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The team departs for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday for the Bayer 04 Brazil Tour 2025 from July 14-24. The preseason journey marks a change from recent training camps in the Austrian Alps and Black Forest and we caught up with CEO Fernando Carro to ask him about this summer's visit to Brazil.
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Malik Tillman and the USA could not quite achieve the hoped-for big win in their own country. Last Monday’s final in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Houston ended up in a 2-1 defeat for the hosts against Mexico. But the Bayer 04 new signing can be very happy with the course of the tournament and his own performances. Tillman was in the starting line-up for all six games. That concluded an impressive season for him after winning the Eredivisie title in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven. Bayer04.de profiles the 23-year-old new signing.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed the USA international Malik Tillman. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder joins the Werkself from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Tillman, with German roots and born in Nuremberg, has a contract at Leverkusen to 30 June 2030. He scored 16 goals and provided five assists in 34 games for PSV last season. Three of those goals and two assists were in six matches in the UEFA Champions League.
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