Compared with the 3-0 win against SV 07 Elversberg in the second round of the DFB Pokal, head coach Xabi Alonso made seven changes: Only birthday boy Nordi Mukiele, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba and Granit Xhaka played from the start again. Martin Terrier was unavailable as were the injured Amine Adli and Jeanuel Belocian.
The match was evenly balanced from the start but there was a setback for Stuttgart: After 180 seconds Jamie Leweling complained of pains in his left thigh off the ball. The Germany international had to be substituted and was replaced by Fabian Rieder (8'). The first noteworthy chance of the game came on twelve minutes: Jeremie Frimpong intercepted a Stuttgart pass and raced towards the VfB goal but Alexander Nübel was able to save his shot. Shortly after that, Alejandro Grimaldo tested the Stuttgart keeper (14'), Anrie Chase then blocked an effort from Florian Wirtz (15').
The Black and Reds increased the pressure as the game went on, pressing high and continuing to play on the front foot – and the ball was in the back of the net but celebrations were cut short: Frimpong converted a pass from Victor Boniface but the provider was offside in the build-up (33'). The next chance for Bayer 04 fell to Tapsoba on 41 minutes with the central defender heading against the bar from a corner. The defender, along with Tah and Co., was in full control at the back with VfB not having a single shot in the first half that ended goalless.
The Black and Reds were on top again after the restart and had the first big chance in the second half: Wirtz intercepted a misplaced pass by Stuttgart and set up Boniface who shot against the right hand post (53'). Alonso then made a change in attack bringing on Jonas Hofmann for Mukiele. The visitors also made substitutions with Deniz Undav having their first chance of the game on 61 minutes.
Wirtz chipped a ball over the top to Frimpong but his header at pace went just wide of the post (66') and Nübel made an impressive save with his feet to deny Boniface (73'). On 77 minutes, Wirtz was kept out by the Stuttgart keeper – with shot number 17 of the night. Alonso made further substitutions late on with Patrik Schick, Nathan Tella and Exequiel Palacios coming on. However, despite the fresh legs and continued attacking efforts to the end, the Werkself were unable to gain the rewards for their efforts. The match against the runners-up ended goalless.
The Werkself now have two away games in the third double fixture week: The Black and Reds are away to Liverpool on Matchday 4 in the Champions League on Tuesday, 5 November (kick-off: 21.00 CET). That is followed on Saturday, 9 November (kick-off: 15.30 CET) by a visit to VfL Bochum on Bundesliga Matchday 10. Then comes the final international break of this year.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky - Mukiele (Hofmann 54'), Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie - Xhaka, Andrich (Palacios 86') - Frimpong (Tella 86'), Wirtz, Grimaldo - Boniface (Schick 86')
VfB Stuttgart: Nübel - Vagnoman, Rouault, Chase, Mittelstädt (Hendriks 58') - Karazor, Stiller - Leweling (Rieder 8’, Führich 58’), Undav, Millot (Demirovic 80’) - Touré (Al-Dakhil 80’)
Yellow cards: Andrich, Mukiele, Xhaka - Karazor, Millot, Chase, Stiller
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Berlin)
Attendance: 30,210 (sold out) at the BayArena
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
Show more
Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
Show more
A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
Show more
A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
Show more
At the training camp in the Weimarer Land region, Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez and his long-standing assistant Pol García talk about their first few weeks with the Werkself, their expectations of their own work, the coaching staff and the squad, as well as the style of football they want the team to play. They emphasise the importance of a winning mentality within the team, comment on cultural and personal differences in the world of football, and outline their goals for the coming season...
Show more
