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
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss at VfL Wolfsburg on the 20th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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
After full time in the 1-1 draw against FC Bayern Munich, the Bayer 04 fans first had to catch their breath. Firstly because of their usual loud support, and secondly because of the great drama they'd witnessed on the pitch: three disallowed goals, two red cards and a Werkself side who "again produced a very good performance against strong opponents", as head coach Kasper Hjulmand described. The Dane was particularly enthused by the performance of young Montrell Culbreath, while Patrik Schick got to enjoy his 200th appearance under the Cross. The Werkself Review unpacks the action.
Show more
Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-1 draw against FC Bayern Munich on Matchday 26 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
Show more
Bayer 04 were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Bayern Munich in an eventful Matchday 26 fixture in the Bundesliga. Aleix Garcia had given the Werkself the lead inside six minutes, but Bayern levelled in the second half through Luis Diaz, despite Nicolas Jackson having been send off before the break. Diaz was then dismissed himself as Leverkusen pushed for a winner, which failed to materialise as Jonas Hofmann saw a late goal ruled out.
Show more
