Simon Rolfes is first set to appear on the ZDF midday show around 13.45 CEST on Friday afternoon in conversation with presenter Norbert König to talk about the top match against the current league leaders from Munich. A few hours before the kick-off of #B04FCB, the Bayer 04 sporting director will be a guest on the Sunday morning show 'Lage der Liga' looking at the state of play in the league at 09.30 CEST. The talk show will be broadcast on the new TV channel BILD Live.
Anybody who supports the Black and Reds will also enjoy watching television on Saturday: The pay-TV channel Sky is dedicating the next edition of their documentary series 'Stars of the Bundesliga' to Werkself central striker Patrik Schick. The 30-minute programme begins at 10.00 CEST - it will be worth watching.
Back on the pitch: There was an intensive training session in the shadow of the BayArena on Thursday for Schick and Co. after an extended sprint session with fitness coach Bob Schoos, there were fast playing drills in restricted space. Taking a full part again was the recovered Edmond Tapsoba. He was joined by players returning from international duty in the shape of Andrey Lunev, Odilon Kossounou, Charles Aránguiz, Florian Wirtz and Moussa Diaby.
Another international trio consisting of Amine Adli, Jeremie Frimpong and Mitchel Bakker were at work inside the BayArena. The skipper Lukas Hradecky, who has been given a day to recover, plus the South American duo Piero Hincapie and Lucas Alario, who are in action overnight, are set to return shortly. Zidan Sertdemir is set to rejoin his teammates on the training ground on Friday.
Reiner Calmund is also looking forward to the top match at the BayArena. The legendary Leverkusen general manager sees the current league leaders from Munich as the favourites – in spite of their recent 2-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt and being level on points with the Black and Reds. "We should all keep our feet on the ground. Just because Bayern have lost once, the two teams are not at all on a par," said the 72-year-old.
Nevertheless, Calli found words of praise for the team under head coach Gerardo Seoane and he says they have a good chance, particularly on the European stage: "The team play quick and attractive football. I think Bayer have more chance of winning the Europa League than being champions."
Reiner ‘Calli’ Calmund worked for TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen from 1976 as well as from 1999 to 2004 as managing director of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH. Under his leadership, the club from Leverkusen won the UEFA Cup in 1988, the DFB Cup in 1993 and reached the Champions League final in 2001/02.
Bayer 04 again send out black and red congratulations today (Thursday): Above all, we congratulate the former Bayer 04 player Harry Gniech on his 70th birthday. Born and bred in Leverkusen, he played for the Werkself from 1966 and was the first youth player to step up to the first-team squad. He was also part of the team that gained promotion to Germany's top flight in 1978/79.
Birthday greetings also go to Henrique Buss. The Brazilian played on loan from Barcelona in the 2008/09 season. He is now 34 years old. And Thomas Reichenberger celebrates his 46th birthday. The former striker first played for the Leverkusen Reserves in 1997/98 before making 24 appearances (four goals) for the senior team in the following season. Many happy returns to all of you.
Newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg will begin the 2026/27 season as Bundesliga club number 59. The Saarland club start their first Bundesliga campaign at home to the Werkself on Saturday, 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST) at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, which is currently being rebuilt. For one Leverkusen player in the ‘Elv’ line-up, the clash will be a special reunion. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Ernest Poku is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play in the Turkish Süper Lig. The club has loaned the Dutch winger to Beşiktaş for one year. If certain criteria are met, the Istanbul club – who finished fourth in the Turkish top flight last season – will be obliged to make the move permanent.
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The fixture details for the Bayer 04 Women’s first match in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been confirmed: As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning, the Leverkusen Women will face second-tier side FC Viktoria Berlin in the first round on Sunday 27 September at 14:00 CEST.
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40 years of European nights, unforgettable moments and great stories. With the new European jersey, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and kit supplier New Balance are celebrating the club’s history in European competitions under the epic slogan ‘40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.’ The European jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 web shop and the Bayer 04 Fanwelt.
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Here we go: the Bayer 04 European jersey has landed, and the draw for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League is coming up tomorrow. To mark the start of the 2026/27 European campaign, Bayer 04 are hosting an autograph session on Friday afternoon, 28 August, from 15:00 to 15:30 CEST at the Fanwelt, with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio. Brian the Lion will also be there.
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