The referee for today's match is Benjamin Brand. The 27-year-old management executive will be assisted by Robert Schröder and Christian Leicher. Marcus Schüller is the fourth official.
Good omen? – The next run?
After the 3-1 win at Augsburg: Two years ago a 2-2 draw at FCA was followed by a run of seven Bundesliga wins in succession the Bayer 04 and last year 3-3 draw at Augsburg was also followed by seven Bundesliga victories on the bounce. Let's hope that happens again.
On song against Mainz
Bayer 04 have won three of the last four matches against Mainz with this season's previous fixture ending in a 3-2 win at Mainz. However, Leverkusen have never won both games in a season against FSV. With 37 goals conceded (the same as Hamburg SV) Mainz have the third weakest defence in the league behind Bremen (42) and Darmstadt (41). Only once have they conceded as many goals at the same point in the season as now (2004/05, finished in 11th position).
Mainz weak on the road
FSV Mainz have lost the last six away games in the top flight – the team from Rhineland Hessen have only experienced a similar bad run in the Bundesliga in their first season in 2004/5 when they ended up losing eight away games in succession.
What an exciting previous game
The Werkself wanted the win and they got it. Bayer 04 showed great team spirit to come from behind twice and score the 3-2 winner in added time. Chicharito was the man of the match with a hat-trick for the Werkself. It's good to remember: It was the second minute of added time as Jonathan Tah chipped the ball into the box for Chicharito to head the ball past Jonas Lössl into the net.
Schwadbud is open
As usual, the popular fan pub the Schwadbud at the BayArena opens its doors two hours before kick-off, is closed during the game and reopens for ticket holders after the match. The #W11Fantalk will be broadcast live on the club website.
#W11Fantalk with Kevin Kampl
After the match at around 18.00 CET the Werkself player will again answer your questions at the popular #W11Fantalk - this time it's the turn of Kevin Kampl from Solingen to appear at the Schwadbud. You can put your questions to Kevin from now via Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #W11Fantalk.
The Werkself continue their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with their third friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday 29 July (kick-off 15:00 CEST). Werkself-TV is broadcasting the match live and in full in a stream from 14:50 CEST...
Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
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Bayer 04 is redesigning the public catering at the BayArena and Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion for the start of the 2026/27 season. Together with new catering partner Aramark, processes will be developed and the service at the stadium will be improved in a targeted way.
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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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