The season so far has been a bit of a merry-go-round for the Werkself – with six wins, three draws and seven defeats from the previous 16 league games, it has neither been really up or down so far. And that is fairly reflected in the tenth position in the table. At least there has been an upward trend in recent weeks: The Werkself have picked up ten points from the last five games – only Bayern, Wolfsburg (13 each) and Borussia Dortmund (12) have been more successful. If all goes to plan then the Werkself can dislodge Hertha with their three-point advantage from eighth place. Providing Werder Bremen don't win in Leipzig and Hertha are beaten by a margin of at least three goals. And a great goal fest to round off the year is as tempting as a free Glühwein on the Christmas Market.
The Werkself have something to make amends for: Even though the Werkself have won seven of the last ten meetings with the Berlin club, last season saw Hertha win 2-0 at Leverkusen on Carnival Saturday, which certainly did not make the festivities any more enjoyable. And there is a score to settle for the fifth home defeat against Hertha. Given this return from the 22 away games in the Rhineland, it is hard to believe Hertha look forward to travelling to Leverkusen. But it appears they do somehow. In the last 15 matches at the BayArena, the team from the capital have always scored at least one goal against the Werkself (with a total of 23) – Hertha have not had a run of goals like that at any other ground in the Bundesliga. Talking about runs: There has always been a winner in this fixture recently with the last draw coming in April 2012.
Ignoring the fact the Werkself suffered a defeat in the previous last game before a winter break five years ago, visitors to the BayArena have not had much joy recently. Only Ludogorets were able to take a point in a dead rubber Europa League group match at the end of November. Otherwise the perfect (across all competitions) record: Three wins without conceding against Zürich, Stuttgart and Augsburg. And it fits in really well that the Berlin team have only won one of their seven games on the road: Hertha only kept clean sheets at Hannover (2-0) and Mainz (0-0) – otherwise the team coached by Pal Dardai have always conceded at least one goal. They even let in four goals at the Rhineland neighbours in Düsseldorf. Let's go one better.
On Wednesday, Lucas Alario played a big part in picking up three important points against Schalke with his goal to make it 2-0. It was the second goal of the season for the Argentinian (13 appearances) following his winner in the 1-0 victory over Augsburg at the beginning of December that put marked his return to goalscoring trail. And there is a continuing interesting run: The Werkself have not lost a Bundesliga game when Alario has scored – eight of the nine matches ended in wins. It's a big Christmas wish for that run to carry on. Alario has found the back of the net eight times in the Bundesliga in 2018 making him the club's second highest goalscorer behind Kevin Volland (10). Another 90 minutes and the rankings are closed. Time to get scoring…
Last results: 1-2 (A), 0-2 (H)
Referee: Tobias Stieler (Hamburg)
Weather forecast: 10 degrees, light rain
Expected attendance: 27,000
TV brodcaster: Sky
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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