The German Football Association (DFB) has put Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck in charge of today’s match. The 34-year-old has officiated in six Bundesliga fixtures this term but the game on matchday 18 is the first one involving the Werkself this term. The only Black and Reds match he has refereed was last season’s goalless draw at TSG Hoffenheim on matchday 28. His assistants at the BayArena are Christof Günsch and Jonas Weickenmeier, Pascal Müller is the VAR match official. We wish them every success.
Werkself LIVE is out again for the first fixture of the year. The matchday magazine is available online free of charge. The Bayer 04 matchday flyer, revamped for this season, contains interesting stats and facts on the encounter between the Werkself and Union Berlin. HERE is the link to the e-paper.
The teams will come onto the pitch a couple of minutes earlier. The reason for that is a minute’s silence in memory of Willibert Kremer who passed away on Christmas Eve. The coach, who took his team to the top flight in 1979, was 82 years old. The Werkself will wear black ribbons today.
The visitors from the capital lost their first two opening fixtures in the second half of the Bundesliga season: 3-1 at RB Leipzig in 2019/20, 2-1 at Augsburg last term. Up to now, only FC St. Pauli have lost the first three games in the second half of the season in the Bundesliga.
Bayer 04 congratulate four Black and Red birthday boys on this Saturday. Wilfried Seifert (73 years old) and the goalkeepers Pascal Zuberbühler (50) and Benedikt Fernandez (36) celebrate their birthdays as does Dr. Karl-Heinrich Dittmar. The 59-year-old has worked for the Werkself since 2002 and he has headed the medical section for many years. The Leverkusen-born doctor was appointed medical director at Bayer 04 in July 2019. Many happy returns.
Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Back at the BayArena at last! For the first time since the summer break, the Werkself played at their home ground in the 2026 season launch – and went on to beat Sevilla in the fifth preseason friendly. Patrik Schick turned the game around after Miguel Sierra put the visitors ahead (16’), scoring twice in the second half (66’, 79’) to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans in the new seats at the BayArena. New signing Miguel Gutiérrez was delighted to provide the assist for the equaliser on his debut under the Bayer Cross.
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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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