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
After Rio de Janeiro, it's off to Thuringia: This summer, Bayer 04 Leverkusen will prepare for the 2026/27 football season in Germany. While Brazil was the destination last year, the Werkself will now set up their training camp in Blankenhain, just outside Erfurt, from 1 to 7 August 2026.
Show more
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
Show more
Due to the last-minute postponement of the Bundesliga match between Hamburg and the Werkself on Tuesday, 13 January, Bayer 04 will reimburse the ticket price to all 3,500 fans who had already travelled to Hamburg as a sign of appreciation. The tickets remain valid for the rescheduled match (date not yet set).
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without centre-back Edmond Tapsoba in the coming weeks. The Burkina Faso international returned to the Werkself from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a muscle injury.
Show more
The Bundesliga fixture between Hamburger SV and Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been postponed at short notice.
Show more
