
Serie B club Venezia FC provide the first opposition for the Werkself in the New Year at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The kick-off against the team including former Bayer 04 player Joel Pohjanpalo is on Saturday 7 January at 15.00 CET. It will be the first meeting of the two clubs.
The second friendly in January is at the BayArena. Bayer 04 host FC Copenhagen in Leverkusen one week before the Bundesliga fixture at Borussia Mönchengladbach. The match on Sunday 15 January kicks off at 14.00 CET.
The Werkself and the top Danish club played each other in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers in 2014/15. The tie produced two wins for Bayer 04 (3-2 and 4-0) and secured progress to the group stage of Europe's premier club competition.
Match tickets for the home games against Venezia FC and FC Copenhagen go on sale on 20 December. Club members pay five euros and non-members seven euros.

The German Football Association (DFB) has officially recognised Bayer 04 as a centre for the development of female talent for the 2026/27 season. The club was awarded that role on 1 January 2026, and this status has now been renewed.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have sold young defender Andrea Natali to AZ Alkmaar on permanent terms. The 18-year-old Italian was on loan at the Dutch club last season, where he mainly played for the reserve team in the second division.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have loaned new signing Luca Erlein to newly promoted FC Energie Cottbus for the 2026/27 season. This will give him the opportunity to play in Bundesliga 2. The club signed the 19-year-old right-back on a permanent basis last week, on a contract to 30 June 2030.
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Trophies as a youth, appearances in the pro game and his first taste of international competition: new arrival Luca Erlein, who has been signed from TSG Hoffenheim, can already look back on some remarkable achievements and moments in his fledgling career. We take a closer look at the 19-year-old right-back, who can also fill other roles across the defensive line.
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