Beware! There is currently one notable statistic in the league that makes people sit up but also may serve as a warning: The team placed second in the Bundesliga have not won for ten matchdays. Hopefully that will change this weekend. Bayer 04 are in the runners-up spot for the first time since September 2014.
If Bayer 04 beat Mainz on Sunday then the Werkself will have equalled a new club record. In the last 24 Bundesliga fixtures, Leverkusen have scored at least one goal in every game and that equals the previous best in the 1999/2000 league campaign.
Games involving Bayer 04 have a high entertainment value: The matches involving Heiko Herrlich's team have produced the most goals this season: There is an average of 3.5 goals per game (39 goals scored and 27 conceded). Leon Bailey has had the most efforts on opposition goals: The Jamaican has had 42 shots and scored seven goals.
There could be two landmarks for the Werkself in the match against Mainz: Kevin Volland, the top Bayer 04 scorer with ten goals, is on the verge of his 50th Bundesliga goal (16 for Bayer 04, 33 for Hoffenheim), The skipper Lars Bender is on the verge of 100 victories in Germany's top flight.
The match against Mainz 05 offers plenty of chances for reunions. Julian Baumgartlinger played for Mainz between 2011 and 2016 (124 Bundesliga appearances, two goals) and he was even captain at FSV in 2015/16. In the 4-1 win at Hoffenheim, he scored his first competitive goal for Bayer 04. On the Mainz side, René Adler, the currently injured goalkeeper, has an extensive Leverkusen past: The shot-stopper played for the Werkself from 2000 to 2012 and went on to play for Germany during that period. Right back Giulio Donati (43 Bundesliga games from 2013-16) and Levin Öztunali (15 Bundesliga games from 2013-14) also played for the Black and Reds.
It is now a tradition after Bundesliga home games for the Werkself for well-known visitors to call into the Schwadbud after the final whistle to discuss the action on the pitch with stadium announcer Tobias Ufer, fan liaison officers Rüdiger Vollborn and Frank Linde plus a supporter. This time, Lars Bender is the guest at #W11Fantalk. If you have any questions for the Werkself captain, who has just extended his contract to 2021, please send them in via Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #W11Fantalk. It kicks off between 18.00 and 18..15 CET.
The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
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The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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The Bundesliga is back. On Saturday 29 August (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to SV 07 Elversberg on matchday 1 of the new season. Ahead of the clash at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the importance of a successful start and the motivation of the league newcomers from the Saarland.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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