Jonathan Tah has played every minute of the Bundesliga season to date. No question that the 25-year-old has developed into the undisputed boss of the defence since the start of the season. In last Saturday's second half of the season opener against Union Berlin the Black and Reds number four did not put a foot wrong again in defence and he secured a deserved point for the Werkself with his powerful headed goal on 84 minutes for the final scoreline of 2-2. In our eyes, he fully deserves his place in the football journal kicker German international players Team of the Matchday. Congratulations Jona.
Sky commentator Marcus Lindemann was back on the microphone. The 56-year-old commentated on the clash between the Werkself and Union – it was his first appearance after a long time out. Lindemann gave the reason for his absence over the last weeks and months the day before the match. In an operation, a facial nerve "came out in sympathy" and that led to the right side of his face being paralysed. Lindemann is however hopeful that the situation is temporary. Welcome back.
One day after the clash with the Irons, the first team players in the starting line-up had a recovery session while the other players came together for normal training on pitch one. There was no training on Monday with preparations for matchday 19 beginning tomorrow on Tuesday: The team under head coach Gerardo Seoane are away to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, 15 January. The kick-off against the team placed twelfth in the Bundesliga at Borussia Park is at 18.30 CET.
Edmond Tapsoba will not be available for the clash with the Foals. The Werkself central defender is currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Sunday night saw Burkina Faso start the tournament with a 2-1 defeat against hosts Cameroon – without Tapsoba. The 22-year-old was not in the squad for the West African side. The next match in Group A is set for Thursday, 13 January (kick-off: 20.00 CET). That game is against Cape Verde. The final match of the group stage for Burkina Faso is against Ethiopia on Monday, 17 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET).
Tapsoba’s Bayer 04 teammate Odilon Kossounou is also at the African tournament with the Ivory Coast. The summer signing starts the tournament with his national team on Wednesday, 12 January (kick-off: 20.00 CET) against Equatorial Guinea. The Ivorians in Group B also face Sierra Leone (16 January) and Algeria (20 January). All matches in the Africa Cup of Nations are being broadcast on the streaming service DAZN.
Not a new signing but a new name nevertheless in the Bayer 04 Women's squad: Goalkeeper Frederike Abt married recently and is now called Friederike Repohl. The 27-year-old joined Leverkusen from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer. Congratulations on your marriage, Rike.
The new calendar year for the Bayer 04 eSports players starts with an extra special clash: Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ de Cae and Co. have a rearranged fixture on Monday night in the VBL Club Championship against FC Köln. The derby on matchday 11 in December was postponed.
The Werkself eSports players are currently seventh in the VBL CC and the rivals from Cologne are two places behind with three points less. The match kicks off at 18.00 and the rearranged fixture will be broadcast as usual on the Bayer 04 club Twitch channel.
Eastern Germany's most successful talk show celebrated an anniversary last Friday night – the MDR production of Riverboat had its 30th anniversary. Leverkusen sporting managing director Rudi Völler was one of many VIP guests. In an extensive interview with comedian Matze Knoop, the 61-year-old talked about his first matches as a football player in the German Democratic Republic and what he spent his first wages on back then.
The whole broadcast of the anniversary Riverboat – Talk show is available HERE. The interview with Völler starts at 1 minute 47.
There will plenty of action at the BayArena when Bayer 04 and SC Freiburg, the two most competitive teams in the current Bundesliga campaign, meet this Sunday, 26 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The A59 autobahn will be closed to traffic. Thirteen fan clubs will be honoured for their long-standing commitment during the half-time break. Matchday news brings you the latest information on today’s home game.
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With twelve points from the six matches in the online preliminary round of showdown one, the Leverkusen eSports players have made a successful start to the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship campaign. They finished eleventh in the table and made it through to the offline knockout round of the first showdown, where they will first face FC Schalke 04 in the Round of 16 on Sunday, 26 October (from 15:15 CET/live on the VBL Twitch channel). The latest information on their opponents and possible further adversaries.
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After a poor start to their Bundesliga campaign, SC Freiburg have long since bounced back. Coach Julian Schuster's team are unbeaten since the end of August and got a confidence boost on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League for their next challenge at the BayArena this Sunday, 26 October (kick-off: 15.30 CET).
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The Bayer 04 Women have made good use of the international break. In stormy weather, the Werkself beat top-flight Dutch team NAC Breda 8-1 in a friendly on Thursday afternoon. Caroline Kehrer (5’/18’), Paulina Bartz (15’), Valentina Mädl (38’/69’/79’) and Vanessa Fudalla (53’) scored for the Leverkusen side.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without captain Friederike Repohl for the next few weeks. The 31-year-old keeper, who has played in six matches this season, suffered a muscle injury to her left thigh in training.
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