19 out of a possible 21 points in the Bundesliga, 14 of the last 16 games won: The Black and Reds have carried on where they left off at the beginning of March with two wins since the restart. "I was a little worried we'd lose our rhythm due to the coronavirus break," admitted head coach Peter Bosz at today's pre-match press conference but, at the same time, he said with relief: "To be honest, I have to say our players have recently been really good in putting our instructions into practice. Once again: Hats off to the lads."
It's one match after the next for the Werkself at the moment. Four games in 12 days are on the agenda. "The gap between matches is very short. With this run of games it's very important for us to control workloads so that all the players stay fit," explained Bosz who was today able to welcome Jonathan Tah (back problems) and Kevin Volland (ankle ligament) back to the training ground. "Afterwards we’ll see which players are available," added the 56-year-old.
One player, who in all probability will also face VfL, is Kerem Demirbay. The summer signing from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim produced impressive performances in the games against Werder Bremen and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bosz: "It's taken a while with him. But that's normal when a player moves to a new club. Kerem has played very well in the second half of the season and he brings his quality to the pitch."
Bosz and Co. have only experienced games without fans away up till now. Tomorrow will be the first game for the Werkself behind closed doors at the BayArena. In the first two Bundesliga matchdays after the restart, the hosts have only won three matches. "I don't think that's a coincidence. It's easier for the away teams if there are no fans at the ground. Without fans, it's more down to the quality of the teams on the pitch," said Bosz who finished off with a comment on tomorrow's opponents: "It will be tough again against Wolfsburg – we'll have to give 100 per cent over 90 minutes and definitely set out to win the game in the end."
Match information:
Broadcasters: Sky and Werkself Radio (bayer04.de)
Referee: The referee will be announced on the day of the match.


In their third friendly of this pre-season, Bayer 04 played on home soil for the first time – and won there too! The Werkself claimed a comfortable 4-0 victory against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. Jeanuel Belocian (9’) and Nathan Tella (42’) gave a dominant Leverkusen a 2-0 lead at the break, which Afonso Moreira (51’) and Christian Kofane (53’) doubled after the break. Among the many second-half substitutions was Patrik Schick, who made his first friendly appearance of the summer.
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The Werkself are finally back. On Saturday 8 August, Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign with their opening match. But there’s far more than just a double-header in store for Werkself supporters. True to the motto ‘One day. Two teams. One club’, the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium will be transformed into a world of excitement.
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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...

After the children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy grilled Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch last week, another group of 20 young Werkself fans gathered at the BayArena press conference room on Tuesday afternoon, 28 July . This time, the kids directed their questions at Tim Oermann and Jonah Berghoff. Defender Oermann raved about his school days, whilst talented midfielder Berghoff revealed to the young footballers, amongst other things, who his favourite player is – and he is also at Bayer 04. To round things off, the pair naturally obliged with all requests for autographs and selfies.
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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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