Bayer 04 will have to manage without Kerem Demirbay for another two games in the Europa League. The midfielder was shown a red card in the closing stages of the 4-0 home win against Real Betis early in November. UEFA confirmed the three-match ban on Tuesday evening. Demirbay will only be available to the Werkself for the second leg of the Round of 16 tie in March 2022 .
The 28-year-old will miss the last match in Group G against Ferencváros (9 December) as well as the Round of 16 first leg in the middle of March of next year. Bayer 04 are certain of finishing top of the group that means Demirbay and Co. will proceed straight to the last 16.
Sporting managing director Rudi Völler is in favour of using former players in support of VAR match officials. "I'm now of the opinion that a former player could possibly be helpful with his experiences in many situations," said the 61-year-old to Sport Bild. Völler played over 650 games at club level that included winning the champions league in 1993 with Olympique Marseille. The former world class striker won the World Cup with Germany in 1990 and played for the Werkself between 1994 and 1996.
The mood of Jeremie Frimpong and Amine Adli could hardly be better at the moment: The Bayer 04 youngsters have been in the starting line-up in the past five games – and played a considerable part in securing four wins and a draw. Adli won three points for the Werkself with his first Bundesliga goal in the 1-0 win against VfL Bochum. His teammate followed suit last weekend with his first goal in Germany's top-flight in a 3-1 victory at RB Leipzig.
Following the win against RB, the U21 international players Frimpong (Netherlands) and Adli (France) together watched Frimpong's celebration in the game in Leipzig – and they had a lot to laugh at. Click HERE for the video.
It was one of the crucial moments in the home game against Bochum: the sliding tackle from Jonathan Tah on Takuma Asano. The Bochum player was about to shoot from the penalty spot but our key defender arrived at the last minute to put in a sliding tackle to maintain the 1-0 lead. A really important and impressive move that deservedly won the award for Save of the Month for November powered by iLOQ. Congratulations, Jona! HERE is a video of the clearance made by our number 4.
1 December 1979 is firmly fixed in the Bayer 04 history books as an historic event happened on that Saturday afternoon at the Park Stadium in Gelsenkirchen: The Werkself were the visitors at the then seven-time German champions FC Schalke 04. Matchday 15 in the first Bundesliga season in the club's history finally brought the first away win in the top-flight away to the Royal Blues.
Peter Szech scored both goals in the 2-0 victory and he was the matchwinner for the team coached by Wilibert Kremer. That victory was exactly 42 years ago and since then there have been 235 other Bundesliga wins for the Black and Reds on the road to date. Here's to many more!
As a comparison: In the current season, the Werkself already had 04 wins from 13 games away from home and are still unbeaten away from the BayArena. Bayer 04 are currently top of the away form table with 15 points.
Bayer 04 are back at the BayArena! Under the slogan “One day. Two teams. One club.”, the Leverkusen stadium grounds will be transformed into a world of experiences – with a wide range of exclusive activities both on and off the pitch. Keep track of all the highlights in our blog for the 2026 season launch.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day six (Friday 7 August) is as follows: This morning, the squad completed their final training session – this time behind closed doors – here in Blankenhain, before heading back to Leverkusen after lunch. The big season launch is scheduled for tomorrow.
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Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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