With the aim of giving his players as much time on the pitch as possible in the double matchday against Sittard and the Belgian first division team KAS Eupen, Peter Bosz split his Werkself squad into two teams with U19 players making up the numbers. Team 1, who faced the Dutch side, was skippered by Kai Havertz – and the two new signings Kerem Demirbay and Moussa Diaby alsohad the chance to show what they could do in the opening game in front of 1,000 fans at the Kurtekotten Academy.
While the Werkself, for the first time in their new red home kit, tried to follow the specific instructions of the coaching staff against the Fortuna Sittard team coached by Sjors Ultee, the Dutch side applied pressure from the start, frustrated the Black and Red attacks and were wide-awake when the Werkself passing game broke down.
It took 20 minutes before the Werkself looked dangerous in front of the opposition goal: The visitors' keeper Alexei Koselev pulled off an excellent reflex save to deny Lucas Alario and the ensuing corner from Kerem Demirbay saw youth player Kevin Bukusu hit the post with his effort (22') – and the follow-up shot from Wendell failed to find the target. A few minutes later, Demirbay was in a good position but his shot went over the bar (24'). Six minutes later, the visitors scored the only goal of the game – with a suspicion of offside, Sittard's Rasmus Karjalainen converted the rebound.
After the restart, the Werkself pressed in search of an equaliser but the best opportunity was ruled out by referee Nico Fuchs due to a disputed offside: Moussa Diaby made the most of his pace and ended by putting the ball into the back of the Dutch net – but the strike did not count (58'). Peter Bosz brought on the youngsters in the closing stages – with the exception of goalkeeper Niklas Lomb there were no first-team players on the pitch. The U19 players did well and created some good chances – but they were unable to beat the Sittard keeper Koselev. The match ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Werkself.
Bayer 04: Lomb – Retsos (Gaedicke 75'), Dragovic (Fünger 60'), Bukusu (Rüth 60'), Wendell (Kemper 75’) – Stanilewicz (Anapak 75’), Demirbay (Türkmen 75’) – Bellarabi (Sarpei 75’), Havertz (Wolf 60'), Diaby (Schlößer 75’) – Alario (Fesenmeyer 75’)
Bayer 04 are riding a wave of success on the European stage: After three wins from their first three games and as the only team yet to concede a goal, the Werkself sit second in the table in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. With another three points in their first-ever competitive match against Olympique Marseille on Thursday night, 5 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Bayer 04 could leap to the top of the table. Meanwhile, the French side are riding the wave of a winning streak in Ligue 1, but are yet to pick up any points in the Europa League. For one Werkself player, Thursday night will mark a reunion with his former team-mates. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
The Europa League campaign continues: Bayer 04 host Olympique Marseille at the BayArena on matchday four of the group stage on Thursday 5 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET). Ahead of the clash against the club from the French Mediterranean coast, head coach Carles Martínez spoke about the visitors’ form and had some good news regarding the squad. Former OM player Facundo Medina spoke, amongst other things, about the factors that will be crucial against his old club.
Show more
The Bayer 04 Round of 16 tie in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been scheduled. The Werkself will host Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig on Wednesday, 2 December, at 18:00 CET. That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB).
Show more
Video game developer Electronic Arts (EA), in collaboration with the Bundesliga, has announced the six nominees for the Bundesliga Player of the Month award for October 2026 – and Bayer 04’s Ibrahim Maza is among them. Fans of the Black and Reds can vote from now until Sunday 8 November (23:59 CET).
Show more
