There is a positive overall summary for starters: If the Bundesliga season was assessed according to the calendar year then Bayer 04 would have secured qualification for the Champions League in fourth place – just as the final table stood in the summer. The Werkself have won 19 games and drawn five (ten defeats) since January after head coach Peter Bosz took charge under the Bayer Cross at the end of December last year with his team picking up 62 points. Only Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund clocked up more points in 2019. Equally amazing: Bayer 04 have finished in the top half of the table in the first half of a Bundesliga campaign for the fourteenth time in succession – only the record champions from Munich have a longer run (28).
Since the start of the year, Bayer 04 have scored 66 goals and conceded 44 in all competitions. Three games played a significant part in the tally: In the second half of last season, Bayer 04 won 5-1 away to Mainz and Hertha Berlin. In addition, there was the memorable 6-1 home win against Eintracht Frankfurt. All three matches make the top ten of the biggest-ever home or away wins for the Werkself.
One part of the successful formula this year has been the pressing of the Black and Reds: Opposing teams only had a 75% completion rate for passes against Bayer 04, which was the lowest against any other Bundesliga side. And there is also an impressive value in terms of possession: With the exception of FC Bayern, no other Bundesliga club has retained the ball more effectively (64%).
Julian Brandt left the Black and Reds to head for Dortmund in the summer, Dominik Kohr joined Eintracht Frankfurt and Tin Jedvaj went out on loan to FC Augsburg. Incomers were Kerem Demirbay and Nadiem Amiri (both from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Moussa Diaby (Paris St Germain) and Daley Sinkgraven (Ajax). Adrian Stanilewicz moved up to the first team squad from the U19s. The first new signing for next year is already agreed: The Argentinian Exequiel Palacios is set to join the Werkself from River Plate at the beginning of January.
Kevin Volland can delight in being the top goalscorer for the Werkself over the past 12 months. The striker has found the back of the net 15 times for the Leverkusen since January. He is ahead of Kai Havertz (14), Lucas Alario (13), Leon Bailey (8) and Julian Brandt (7) who joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer. The goalscorers' list for 2019 also includes Charles Aránguiz (4), Karim Bellarabi (3), Jonathan Tah (2) plus Sven Bender, Wendell, Paulinho and Moussa Diaby – first French goalscorer for the Werkself – with one each. The Werkself also benefited from eight own goals scored by opposing teams.
Central defender Sven Bender also had one of his best half seasons under the Bayer Cross. The 30-year-old not only completed 94% of his passes to a team-mate (fifth best in the league) but he also made the most passes of all players in Germany's top flight with a total of 1,341.
Hopefully these sorts of numbers will continue in 2020.
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).
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On Tuesday night, the Leverkusen e-sports team played the first three of their six group stage matches in the second round of the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship. They were unable to secure more than a draw in either of their matches against FC Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The match against Bayern Munich ended in defeat.
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Once again, several Werkself players are set to represent their respective national teams during the final international break of the calendar year. Here is an overview of the Leverkusen players called up for international duty and the match dates. This will be updated regularly.
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The Bundesliga has announced the nominees for the ‘Top Goal of the Month’ award for October. Fans of the Werkself can now vote for, amongst others, Robert Andrich’s stunning volley from the match against Mainz 05 or Moussa Diaby’s curling shot into the top corner from the same fixture. Voting, exclusively on the Bundesliga app, remains open until Sunday, 8 November (23:59 CET).
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