Exequiel Palacios celebrated an extremely successful comeback to the first team at the Easter weekend: The Argentinian was back in the Werkself line-up for a Bundesliga game for the first time since 1 November of last year. After three appearances from matchday four to matchday six, the 22-year-old suffered a lumbar vertebra fracture in an international fixture. He was back on the subs bench for the last eight games but did not come on.
Hannes Wolf opted to play 'Pala' in his first game in charge of the Black and Reds – and his inclusion was justified with a hard-working and ball-winning performance. In the 2-1 home win against Schalke 04, the Argentinian lined up alongside skipper Charles Aránguiz in holding midfield and he played the full 90 minutes. The Rheinische Post reported that Palacios showed "aggression in challenges and great commitment."
Werkself fans also expressed their enthusiasm for the performance of the midfielder as they voted him Man of the Match on the club's Twitter account. Congratulations, ‘Pala’.
In the fan vote for the Leverkusen Goal of the Month for March, presented by like2drive, one of the youngest players in the Bayer 04 Women's team came out on top. 17-year-old Chiara Bücher scored with a long-range effort to make it 2-0 in the away game at MSV Duisburg. Congratulations, Chiara! You can watch a video of the goal HERE.
Benjamin Adam, coach of the Bayer 04 U13s, gave an impromptu lecture at the request of the Federation of German Football Coaches (BDFL) at their second online congress. As part of this two-day digital event, Adam spoke about the following subject on Saturday, 10 April: "The will to win: The secret of the matchwinner – performance development between competition and training."
Other speakers included Bernhard Peters (formerly at Hamburg SV and TSG Hoffenheim) and the Germany U20 coach Guido Streichsbier.
Secure a Werkself match worn shirt. As part of the #Morethanfootball Action Weeks, all the Bayer 04 shirts from the home game against Schalke 04 (2-1) will be auctioned. The proceeds will go to the Wildpark Reuschenberg via the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Sportförderung gGmbH. The shirts worn by Sven Bender, Leon Bailey and Co. are up for auction up to 17 April. HERE is the link to the auction platform.
This clash was a milestone on the way to the UEFA Cup win for the Werkself in 1987/88: Exactly 33 years ago, Bayer 04 played Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen in the first leg of the semi-final tie. The only goal of the game was scored by a player who was not renowned for his goalscoring ability in his professional career. A detailed review and associated TV report on the game can be found HERE.
Happy 47th birthday, Robert Kovac. The Berliner played for Bayer 04 from 1996 to 2001 making 162 appearances for the Werkself. After his time at Leverkusen, the 84-time Croatia international moved on to Bayern Munich, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Dinamo Zagreb. Kovac ended his playing career in 2010 and then became a coach.
The former central defender has also made a name for himself in this role: He joined his brother Niko as an assistant coach; they worked for the Croatia national team, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich and, since the summer of last year, AS Monaco. The Kovac brothers are coaching the former Werkself player Kevin Volland. Monaco are currently third in Ligue 1 and are in the thick of the title race.
His one-year stay at Bayer 04 was his first club outside South America: In 2011/12, the Werkself signed Colombian Michael Ortega on loan from Atlas Guadalajara. The attacking midfielder made seven Bundesliga appearances in that time. In the following season, Ortega – also on loan – played for VfL Bochum before returning to South America. The former Leverkusen player is 30 today (Tuesday). Bayer 04 wish him a happy birthday.
Two Saturdays, one Friday and one Sunday: The dates for the Bayer 04 Women's team games on matchdays 16 to 19 have been finalised. Three of the four matches scheduled by the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday will be played at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
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The Werkself rang in the Black and Red festive season with an emotional visit to Klinikum Leverkusen. Kristin Kögel, Melissa Friedrich and Louisa Remien from the Bayer 04 Women's team and Jonas Hofmann, Janis Blaswich and Niklas Lomb from the first team visited the young patients on the children's ward and, for the first time, on the ‘Zeitinsel’ children's palliative care unit. They brought a host of lovingly wrapped presents ensuring a big surprise for young and old alike.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Women finish 2025 with the first game of the second half of the Google Pixel Bundesliga season as they host defending champions and league leaders Bayern Munich at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Monday. Kick-off is at 18:00 CET. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 14 encounter.
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