Dressed in their black and red training kit and – as is essential these days – wearing face masks, the Werkself players and coaching staff explored Prague at lunchtime (see gallery below). Rest was on the agenda after lunch at the team hotel. The group will set off for the Eden Arena after the pre-match meal in the early evening.
The Werks11 Radio duo are back to full strength: After being sidelined through illness – he missed the games against Mainz and Nice as well as Augsburg – Niko Hartmann has returned just in time for the clash at Slavia Prague. The experienced radio reporter joins Cedric Pick on Thursday to accompany Werkself fans through the evening. In a change from the usual procedure, they will not be at the game but instead at the BayArena. The duo will be on air 30 minutes before kick-off – tune in at bayer04.de or on the Bayer 04 app.
Anybody preferring to watch the game on television can take in the match and build-up on free TV at RTL Nitro from 20.15 CET plus the streaming service DAZN.
Five Bayer 04 Women players are on the road with their national teams; two have already played: Dora Zeller and Lilla Turanyi started for Hungary in a Euro qualifier but ended up on the losing side in a 2-1 defeat against Slovakia. Zeller was substituted on 87 minutes while Turanyi went the full distance. Henrietta Csiszár had to drop out at short notice due to an injury. Information on the current international break can be found HERE.
Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
Show more
After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
Show more
Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
Show more
