Football, with its enormous reach and attraction again and again serves as an outstanding platform to convey and promote values such as tolerance and integration. With this target, the European Football for Development Network (EFDN) has launched European-wide campaign FARE (Football Against Racism Europe). The project is supported by the EU with many clubs involved – including Bayer 04. The Werkself takes a clear stand against racism and discrimination.
Heiko Herrlich played for Bayer 04 for four years (1989-93) and 24 years later he returned to Leverkusen as head coach. The 48-year-old has been head coach at FCA since March – and, on matchday five, he brings his Augsburg team to face his former club.
“When Heiko came to us, he had won promotion with Jahn Regensburg twice in succession. And it all started really well here with us. After a disappointing twelfth-place finish in the previous season, he brought a wind of change and we had a decent season,” recalls the sporting managing director Rudi Völler. However, the team performed below expectations in the second season so the club management decided to replace Herrlich with Peter Bosz in December 2018.
“We get on well together now. I’m happy for him that he has made such a good start to the new season with Augsburg,” said Völler. Fernando Carro, chairman of the board, is also positive about the time with Heiko Herrlich: “He was the first coach I worked with as CEO at Bayer 04. We had a lot of regular communication – and even today – a good relationship. After the game against us, I obviously wish him every success with Augsburg.
In addition to Herrlich, there will be another former Leverkusen man in the away dugout on Monday. Iraklis Metaxas, youth coach at Bayer 04 from 2016 to 2019, joined Augsburg in the summer of 2020. Metaxas and Herrlich had already worked together at the DFB (2008/09) and that VfL Bochum (2009/10).
Which player should go into a jungle camp and who has to be filmed on a salsa course? Our players face these and many other amusing questions from this week on a regular basis in the new format ‘Spoilt for choice’ on the official Bayer 04 YouTube channel. First off is no less a person than Lars Bender, who sets his twin brother one or the other mean tasks and does not spare his other teammates either. If you want to know who was the best DJ at Lars Bender’s wedding and who held out longest in the ice bath then you must not miss the first episode. Click HERE for the video...
Christoph Daum can look back at a number of honours in his coaching career to date. Born in Zwickau, he started in the dugout at FC Köln and went on to win the German league title with VfB Stuttgart in 1992. Shortly after that he joined Besiktas. In Istanbul, he won the cup in 1994 and the league title a year later. Bayer 04 brought the coach back to the Bundesliga in 1996. Daum was head coach at Leverkusen to 2000. In his first season under the Bayer Cross, he finished runner-up in the Bundesliga and he earned a reward from the sports broadcaster ran; Premiere (today: Sky) named him coach of the season. Daum led the Werkself to the runners-up spot twice in 1997 and 1998.
The European drifter went on to win the double in Austria in 2003 with Austria Vienna. In 2004 and 2005 he won the Turkish league with Fenerbahçe. Daum’s most recent position as a coach was in 2016 to 2017 at the helm of the Romanian national team. On Saturday, the old hand, who received the most votes from Werkself fans as a coach in the vote for the Bundesliga All-Stars held as part of the club celebrations of 40 years in the Bundesliga, celebrates his 67th birthday – Bayer 04 wish him: Many happy returns!
A disciplined defensive performance in the second leg saw Bayer 04 prevail against Olympiacos in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. Thanks to the 2-0 away win in the first leg, the goalless draw at home at the BayArena was enough to ensure progress to the next round. The Black and Reds kept their opponents away from their goal for the best part of 90 minutes.
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Bayer 04 can go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the ninth time tonight, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET) and be in the top 16 clubs in Europe. A good omen: Leverkusen have progressed to the next round after winning the first leg in 20 of their 22 knockout rounds in European competitions to date. For their part, Greek record champions Olympiacos rested several players for last weekend’s league fixture ahead of the play-off second leg at the BayArena and will now do everything in their power to turn the tide with their usual aggressive and high pressing. The discussions on Werkself radio are likely to be just as intense as the battle on the pitch, with commentator Florian Bechholz welcoming honorary captain Stefan Kießling and goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Today’s matchday news.
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With the advantage of the 2-0 first-leg win in the play-offs, the Werkself are looking to book their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League at the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the home game against Olympiacos on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand and goalkeeper Janis Blaswich spoke about the position ahead of the match, the visitors' strength at set-pieces and a personnel issue for the home side.
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With a win in the Greek Super League last weekend, Olympiacos achieved success on the pitch ahead of the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg at Bayer 04 on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET). Coach José Luis Mendilibar rested many of his regular starters.
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