The Green and Whites have contested five pre-season friendlies so far, beating Austria Salzburg 5-1 and Saudi-Arabian club Al-Ittihad with ex-Werkself pro Moussa Diaby 4-1. They lost against Premier League clubs Liverpool (1-0) and Manchester United (3-2) in the context of a tour to the USA and were held to a goalless draw by Spanish second-tier side Cadiz last Wednesday.
Real Betis finished in seventh place in the last La Liga campaign to qualify for the UEFA Conference League. They lost the decisive match for sixth place at home to Real Sociedad San Sebastian 2-0 on the second-to-last matchday. The storied club have established themselves among Spain’s top seven teams since coach Luis Pellegrini took over in August 2020.
Betis enjoyed their most successful season under the Chilean in 2021/22, when they finished fifth. They beat Valencia in the Spanish Cup final that season to win the Copa del Rey for the third time in their history and encountered Bayer 04 for the first time. The Europa League group match in Sevilla ended in a 1-1 draw before the Werkself won 4-0 thanks to goals by Diaby (2), Florian Wirtz and Nadiem Amiri in Leverkusen. Real Betis, whose most prominent honorary members are Spanish King Felipe and his father Juan Carlos, finished in second place behind Bayer 04 and were eliminated by Eintracht Frankfurt, who went on to win the competition, in the last sixteen (2-1, 1-1 AET).
Sevilla is the 13th position in Pellegrini’s career as a coach. The 70-year-old coached Spanish sides Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga from 2004 to 2013. He was in charge of Manchester City from 2013 to 2016, winning the Premier League in 2014 and the League Cup in 2014 and 2016. Pellegrini coached West Ham United before joining Real Betis.
Needless to say, there have been a number of changes in Sevilla’s personnel since their first encounter with the Werkself. Goalkeeping legend Claudio Bravo, who has made 150 appearances for Chile, left the club this summer. The 41-year-old had played in seven league matches in Betis colours last season. Portuguese netminder Rui Silva is Sevilla’s number one now.
Betis signed 31-year-old defender Ricardo Rodriguez just a few days ago. Rodriguez, who is Granit Xhaka’s Switzerland teammate, joined from FC Turin and is known in the Bundesliga from his time at VfL Wolfsburg (2012-2017). Two further experienced new signings are expected to strengthen Betis’ defence: 30-year-old centre-back Diego Llorente joined from Leeds United after a two-year loan spell at AS Roma. 26-year-old left-back Romain Perraud joined from Southampton. In addition, Real Betis have signed Marc Roca, who played for them on loan last season. The 27-year-old had played for FC Bayern from 2020 to 2022 before joining Leeds United.
Forward Borja Iglesias, who played for Bayer 04 on loan in the first half of 2024, has left Sevilla to join fellow La Liga side Celta Vigo on loan. Willian José, who was Betis’ most prolific striker on ten goals last season, joined Spartak Moscow this summer. Besides, two seasoned defenders have left Sevilla. 33-year-old Argentinian Germán Pezzella returned to his home country to join River Plate. Former Dortmund pro Sokratis (36) hung up his boots this summer. Club legend Joaquin had finished his active career at the age of 41 in the summer of 2023. The former forward boasts 622 La Liga appearances, a joint record along with goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta.
Captain Nabil Fekir and former Real Madrid player Isco are among Betis’ leaders. The latter will miss the match at the BayArena with a fibula fracture.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-3 loss against Werder Bremen on the 26th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The climax to a long season, emotional farewells and hopes of a major triumph: Bayer 04 Women face a thrilling final matchday in the Bundesliga. In the clash against SV Werder Bremen on Sunday, 17 May (kick-off: 14:00 CEST) at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, the Werkself could make history and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history – provided rivals Eintracht Frankfurt lose at home to 1. FC Union Berlin at the same time. Even setting aside the sporting context, it's set to be a special afternoon.
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