
While most of the squad completed a regeneration session, only the recovering players including Lars Bender trained at the BayArena. One of those can be very happy: Exequiel Palacios made his first start in the Bundesliga since matchday six last Saturday in the home game against Schalke 04 (2-1). The 22-year-old Argentinian played the full 90 minutes and made a decisive contribution to picking up three points on the first match under head coach Hannes Wolf.
Impressive: For 'Pala' it was the sixth win in his seventh Bundesliga match – plus one draw. Only two other players in the history of the Bundesliga of had more appearances since their debut without suffering a defeat: Former Bayer 04 player Bent Skammelsrud (01 to 04/1998) and Reto Ziegler of Hamburg SV. If the Werkself get a result against TSG Hoffenheim on Monday (kick-off: 20.30 CEST) and Palacios plays then he will join the leading duo.
Do a good turn and win: For several months, the Bayer 04 fan liaison team have been calling all Werkself fans to donate. Numerous projects have been helped financially during the coronavirus pandemic thanks to the campaign ‘Bayer 04-Fans helfen’ campaign. In April funds go to the Wildpark Reuschenberg Leverkusen.
The donation of at least five euros can easily be transferred by the end of the month to the support group for the Wildpark Reuschenberg. Either via PayPal or bank transfer. Account details:
Name: VR Bank eG Bergisch Gladbach-Leverkusen
IBAN: DE03 3706 2600 2801 0000 13
Reference: Spende Bayer 04-Fans helfen
Bayer 04 will raffle great Black and Red prizes amongst all people making donations on every Thursday in April. A Werkself shirt will be in the draw every week. To take part in the draw supporters just have to send proof of donation (e.g. screenshot) via email to fanbetreuung@bayer04.de. The winners will be announced on Thursdays on the Facebook page Bayer 04-Faninfos. Under #gemeinsamfürLEV let us support the animals and their keepers as best as possible. Further information on the Wildpark Reuschenberg is available HERE.
Hertha Berlin and goalkeeping coach Zsolt Petry parted company a few days ago. As his successor, Gábor Király has been mentioned. However, the former Werkself player (01/2009 to 06/2009) has rejected the offer due to other commitments. The 45-year-old has established projects in his home country of Hungary as discussed a few weeks ago in a podcast
Karim Bellarabi, one of the longest serving Werkself players, celebrates his 31st birthday on Thursday. The Berliner join Leverkusen from Eintracht Braunschweig in the 2011/12 season. In 253 appearances to date, the versatile winger has scored an impressive 53 goals and provided 61 assists in a Bayer 04 shirt.
In the 2-1 home win for the Werkself against Schalke 04 last weekend, He was able to make his first start in the Bundesliga since matchday three after being sidelined by injury (including a metacarpal fracture and a thigh injury).

The United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is celebrated worldwide on 3 December. Together with Bayer AG, Bayer 04 is once again setting an example for diversity and inclusion by lighting up the BayArena in purple in the evening.
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To celebrate the Werkself victory at Borussia Dortmund and to thank the fans for their fantastic support at the stadium and at home, Bayer 04 is reducing the price of all jerseys by up to 40 euros! What's more, player or customised printing is free with selection of the DFB Pokal badge and stylish Talcid sleeve logo. Special prizes will also be raffled among all purchasers. All promotions run exclusively on the Bayer 04 online shop until Wednesday, 3 December, 11:59 CET.
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For the second time in four days, Bayer 04 face Borussia Dortmund this Tuesday evening, 2 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET) - this time in the round of 16 of the DFB Pokal, with more than 7,000 fans supporting the Werkself at Signal Iduna Park. After the recent 2-1 defeat to BVB in the league, several cup stats provide hope of revenge for the Black and Reds. There are several reasons why Bayer 04 recommends getting to the round of 16 clash early, in which VAR will be in use, unlike in the previous rounds. Read on for further information on tonight’s game in our matchday news.
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Just three days on from the Bundesliga meeting in Leverkusen, Bayer 04 now visit Borussia Dortmund in the DFB Pokal on Tuesday (21:00 CET). Ahead of the game at the Signal Iduna Park, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about how to approach this second encounter in 72 hours and a number of developments within the squad.
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