In a repeat of the derby in the 2016/17 run-in, Werkself fans will welcome the team coach at the ground. The supporters will gather along Bismarckstraße from 13.45 CET to greet the Bayer 04 team bus on the final stretch into the underground car park at the BayArena.
We are all currently following the terrible events in Ukraine. For that reason, the derby matchday at BayArena provides the opportunity to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The Werkself will play in a cream-white special kit, and a large part of the proceeds will go provide support to Ukraine refugees in Leverkusen. The joint shirt campaign by Bayer 04, Barmenia and JAKO is one of many events on the derby matchday where the Werkself are making a clear stand against war and for peace. Here is an overview of solidarity events.
Sascha Stegemann has been appointed as the referee for today’s game. The 37-year-old has previously been in charge of two Werkself games in the Bundesliga. The record from as Bayer 04 perspective: 1 win and 1 defeat. His assistants are Mike Pickel and Marcel Pelgrim with Günter Perl as the man on VAR. Have a good game.
For the match against the club from Cologne Black and Red fans can catch up the key pre-match information with the help of Werkself LIVE. The programme is available at the BayArena – and the free digital version is online now. This season’s new matchday programme from Bayer 04 provides interesting stats and facts on today’s game. There is poster of Kerem Demirbay on the back. HERE is the e-paper.
Our neighbours from Cologne have only lost more games against a Bundesliga opponent in this century to Bayern Munich (21) and the Werkself (17). FC have lost ten times in the top-flight in Leverkusen during that timescale (more than against any other team) including the last three Bundesliga away games at the BayArena – may that continue…
Based on the current coronavirus protection order of the sate of North Rhine-Westphalia the capacity for the derby at the BayArena is 22,658 with no standing allowed. Spectators must wear a medical-grade face covering at all times – including in the their seats. The 2G rule applies. Further information can be found in the FAQs on home games.
Anyone unable to cheer on the Werkself at the BayArena can follow the action on Werkself Radio or on the live text commentary updates. Both the radio and text commentary services are available at bayer04.de and on the new Bayer 04 app – just log on.
German football mourns the passing of Jürgen Grabowski. The Eintracht Frankfurt legend (441 Bundesliga games between 1965 and 1980) passed away on Thursday evening at the age of 77. Rudi Völler, Bayer 04 sporting managing director, won the 1990 World Cup like Grabowski. The 61-year old said: “As a small Hanauer lad I used to stand outside Frankfurt’s ground and dote on that great player. Jürgen Grabowski was an idol for the Frankfurt fans and far beyond the Rhine-Main region too. My condolences go to Jürgen’s family and friends.”
Bayer 04 today congratulates for former Werkself head coach Roger Schmidt on his 54th birthday. After joining Leverkusen from RB Salzburg in the summer of 2014, the coach spent three years at Leverkusen. Schmidt was in the dugout for 125 games – more than with any other club to date. After working in China he is now in charge of the top-flight Dutch side PSV Eindhoven now second in the Eredivisie. Here’s to more success, Roger.
Hans-Joachim Wöhler was a player with Bayer 04 much earlier than Roger Schmidt. The 76-year-old played up front for the Werkself in the 1960s. Happy birthday.
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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