As the seven-day infection rate in Leverkusen is at 20.1 (as at 25 September, 00.00 CEST), the meeting with Leipzig will be played in front of 6,000 spectators. "It's a further step in the right direction and great for the players," declared head coach Peter Bosz ahead of match number 1,400 for the Werkself in the Bundesliga (700 home games).
The Dutchman is expecting the side from Saxony to be a "very good team. They were in the semi-finals of the Champions League for a good reason. They have a top squad even without Timo Werner and are a big rival for us." That makes it even more important against RB to build on the positive home stats from this calendar year. The Werkself have won an impressive six out eight Bundesliga home games in 2020 (two defeats).
Following on from goalkeeper Lennart Grill (FC Kaiserslautern) and Patrik Schick (AS Roma), Bosz and Co. welcomed summer signing number three in the middle of the week. Right back Santiago Arias (Atlético Madrid) has signed a one-year deal with Bayer 04 having the option to buy the loanee. The Colombian is also not an unknown quantity for head coach Bosz. During his time as a coach in the Dutch Eredivisie, the 56-year-old often came up against Arias as he played for PSV Eindhoven for five years. "He was very attacking with that top team in the Eredivisie. During his time at Atlético he was able to learn much more about defending under Diego Simeone," Bosz said with conviction. "He's a complete player and fits in really well with us."
The Dutchman left open the question of whether Arias will be in the squad against Leipzig – as he also did with the prospect of other new signings. Bosz: "We are continually looking to strengthen the squad – but the players have to have quality. Otherwise it doesn't make any sense."
As with Arias, it remains to be seen whether Leon Bailey will be in the squad. The 23-year-old only returned from self-isolation in Jamaica at the start of the week. Paulinho is definitely ruled out as he continues his rehab following his torn cruciate. All the other Werkself players will be in a position to experience the Bundesliga atmosphere in front of fans at the BayArena on Saturday…
Match information:
Broadcasters: Sky and Werks11 Radio (bayer04.de)
Referee: The match officials will be announced on the day of the game
Attendance: 6,000
High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
Show more
The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
Show more
Sofie Zdebel is up for the Goal of the Month award for February on ARD-Sportschau. Fans have until 21 March (19:00 CET) to vote for the Germany U23 international's volley to make it 2-0 in the Bayer 04 Women's derby against FC Köln (2-1).
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen are further expanding their partner network: The feed manufacturer PerNaturam is an official sponsor of the Bayer 04 Womens team. The partnership opens up a wide range of opportunities for the company to position its brand in the Bundesliga environment.
Show more
Do you dream of wearing the Bayer cross on your chest? To play in black and red like your role models Loreen Bender, Cornelia Kramer, Kristin Kögel and co. from the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga? Then take your chance now! Our female youth teams are once again on the lookout for new talent. That's why Bayer 04 are organising a talent day on 12 April 2026 for the first time this year with trials for female juniors.
Show more
