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.
The #B04 eSports team made a successful start to the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship finals. Marc and Sean Landwehr defeated the hosts of the event, Hamburger SV, in the Round of 16. The quarter-final in the German club championship will be played on Sunday, 8 March at 14:00 CET against SC Freiburg, who finished top of the table in the league phase.
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Freiburg’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend left them two places but a whole 10 points behind Bayer 04. Their results in general may be mixed, but Julian Schuster’s side are a force to be reckoned with at home, where they have earned 24 of their 33 points. Leverkusen may choose to look for the aerial route if they’re to get the better of their hosts, who have conceded more headed goals than any other team. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game in our matchday news.
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A boost for the second Bundesliga away game in a row: The Werkself take on SC Freiburg just three days after the convincing 1-0 win at Hamburger SV. Ahead of the game on Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the lessons learned from the rearranged fixture at HSV, a trio on yellow cards and young players like Christian Kofane and Montrell Culbreath.
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SC Freiburg suffered their eighth away defeat of the season in Frankfurt last weekend. But at home, at the Europa Park Stadion, coach Julian Schuster's team are clocking up one win after the next. SCF are unbeaten in the last 16 matches at home. On Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), they will be looking to keep the run going in the clash with the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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