This is the fifteenth time the Bundesliga newcomers have played at Leverkusen and the first Düsseldorf visit in six years. There is certainly a derby atmosphere in and around Leverkusen this weekend. Here are 04 facts on #B04F95:
With nearest rivals TSG Hoffenheim (3-0 against Hannover 96) and VfL Wolfsburg (3-0 against Mainz) picking up points on Saturday, it is down to Bayer 04 to hit back – ideally with the 04th Bundesliga win on the bounce. That would not only see the Werkself move back up to sixth place in the table but also bring parity with Bayern Munich in terms of points after the winter break. Ahead of this matchday, the Black and Reds had a better goal difference (11-3) than Bayern (11-6). Fortuna Düsseldorf are just two points behind having collected 13 out of a possible 18 points in the last six games – only the Werkself and Bayern Munich (both 15) bettered that return over the same period. The team coached by Friedhelm Funkel certainly caused a stir in December with a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund. So this battle of the neighbours promises to be a thrilling and quality encounter…
The Werkself can not only register victory 04 in succession on Sunday night but also the fourth win in succession against Fortuna. It would be the eleventh win in the 30th Bundesliga fixture against the club based some 40 kilometres away in Düsseldorf. But beware: Over 40 per cent of those matches (12 games) have ended in draws. And the Werkself have often made hard work of it against Fortuna at the BayArena in the past. That is demonstrated by the previous six draws (and one win) Düsseldorf have earned away at Werkself. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect another hard-fought battle. On the other hand: Düsseldorf have only ran out winners once in the past eleven meetings with the Werkself. And the Black and Reds are unbeaten this term in games against teams from the bottom half of the table (4 wins, 3 draws). And it is fitting that Fortuna are one of those sides in the lower half of the table.
The wins against Wolfsburg, Bayern and Mainz clearly show the Werkself are increasingly au fait with the style of play favoiured by coach Peter Bosz. One of the most outstanding players under Bosz in those games was undoubtedly Julian Brandt with a first brace in the league registered at Mainz – and that was in his 200th game for Bayer 04. Wow! The Werkself number 10 was also involved in four goals in a Bundesliga game for the first time (2 goals, 2 assists). Before that, his previous best was two in one match. Up to the 0-0 draw in Krasnodar in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, the 22-year-old was directly involved in at last one goal for the Werkself in the last 04 fixtures; to be more exact four goals and three assists. Since the winter break, Brandt has three goals and three assists putting him ahead of , Robert Lewandowski, Ondrej Duda and Davie Selke (all 5) in the league rankings. Keep it, Jule.
The penultimate game on matchday 22 (Dortmund play FC Nürnberg on Monday) will be refereed by Markus Schmidt. It will be the first time this season the 45-year-old from Stuttgart has been in charge of a fixture involving the Werkself but it is his 16th Bayer 04 match overall. His last game does not bring back happy memories as it was a 4-0 defeat at Dortmund last season. Otherwise, the record is pretty balanced with six Bayer 04 wins, four draws and five defeats. Schmidt's assistants tonight are Christof Günsch and Markus Sinn and the fouth official is Karsten Pfeiffer with Christian Dingert and Patrick Alt acting as the VAR officials. Above all, Wendell, Karim Bellarabi and Dominik Kohr will have to be a bit careful on Sunday. All three are on four yellow cards and another booking would rule them out for next Sunday's top game against league leaders Borussia Dortmund (24 February, 18.00 CET).
Further match info:
Previous result: 2-1 (A)
Referee: Markus Schmidt (Stuttgart)
Weather forecast: 14 degrees, cloudy with sunny intervals
Expected attendance: 27,000
Live broadcast on TV: Sky
The second international break of the 2025/26 season will begin after the Bundesliga match against Union Berlin (Saturday, 4 October, 15:30 CEST). The latest information on call-ups.
Show more
Alejo Sarco and Argentina won their second group match at the U20 World Cup in Chile on Wednesday night. They beat Australia 4-1 with Sarco setting the tone early with a goal in the third minute. As in the first group game against Cuba, where Sarco scored twice, the 19-year-old was also named "Player of the Match" against Australia.
Show more
Second game, second draw in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26: The Werkself were held to a 1-1 draw by Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on matchday two in the league phase. After an early but brief setback in the form of an offside goal by Ivan Perisic for the visitors (5'), the Werkself took control and created numerous good chances in the first half. Leverkusen took a deserved lead after the break in the 65th minute through Christian Kofane. However, PSV's Ismael Saibari replied a few minutes later to level at 1-1 (72').
Show more
In the second match in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26, the Werkself host PSV Eindhoven this Wednesday evening, 1 October (kick-off: 21:00 CEST/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). PSV have injury problems but are in confident mood after winning two consecutive league titles. PSV coach Peter Bosz and keeper Matej Kovar are two familiar faces who have fond memories of their Bayer 04 days. The latest information on the UCL match at the BayArena can be found in out matchday news.
Show more
Bayer 04 beat PSV Eindhoven 3-2 on matchday two to clock up the next three points in the UCL Youth League 2025/26. In front of just under 500 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, the visitors from the Netherlands led at half-time, but the Werkself turned the game round in the second 45. That makes it two wins on the bounce after the victory in Copenhagen.
Show more
