Malik Tillman said: "I know who had the number ten jersey before me (Florian Wirtz, ed.). For me it's a massive honour. I know what the number 10 means in football and I will give my all to fill that role as best as
I can. But I'm also confident and sure that I can perform and show the people here what I can do. I'm very much looking forward to the new season!"
After the 23-year-old watched last Sunday's friendly for the Werkself at VfL Bochum (2-0) from the stands, the new signing from PSV Eindhoven trained on his own at the BayArena on Monday. He joined the first full training session with his teammates on Tuesday.
Tillman has his first chance of a debut in a Bayer 04 jersey on Friday, 1 August (kick-off: 19:00 CEST) in the friendly away to top-flight Dutch club Fortuna Sittard – then with the number 10 on his back.
To mark the announcement of the squad number, fans can get Tillman 10 printing when they buy a jersey at the Bayer 04 online shop or at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt. Bayer 04 Club members save €13.41, non-members €14.90. The offer runs up to and including 31 July.
Please note: At the Bayer 04 online shop, the free printing will only be applied when the Tillman 10 jersey is in the basket.
A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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