The sports journal kicker has named defender Sven Bender in their team of the matchday after the 1-0 home win against FSV Mainz 05. That is the third nomination of the completed season for the 31-year-old.
After his impressive display in the victory over Mainz 05, Sven Bender has shared his first assessment of the unusual 2019/20 Bundesliga season that ended with the Black and Reds in fifth place on 63 points – and that sets a new record for team finishing a season in that position. “We picked up lots and lots of points. In a normal season, that total would have been enough to qualify for the Champions League. The fact that isn’t the case this year shows how high the quality is at the top this season. We have to accept we’ve had a very good Bundesliga season overall,” said the former Germany international.
The Werkself attacking midfielder, Kai Havertz, more than deserved to gain his nomination with an outstanding second half of the season: The 21-year-old qualified for the team of the season thanks to appearing five times in the BILD team of the matchday. The line-up is made up almost exclusively from players from the top five in the Bundesliga – with the exception of keeper Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg) and Dedryck Boyata (Hertha Berlin). The coach of the season, according to BILD, is FC Bayern boss Hansi Flick and Deniz Aytekin is the best referee.
Wins on the final matchday of a Bundesliga season are a regular occurrence for Leverkusen these days. The most recent three points earned by the Werkself against Mainz marks the fifth win in succession on the last day of the season. Nine of the last ten seasons have ended with a victory – a remarkable return.
Following the win at the end of the league campaign, the Werkself players had another reason to celebrate yesterday – for their now 36-year-old goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan. The Austrian has played for Bayer 04 since 2016 and has proved to be a reliable reserve keeper, motivator and contact.
Former Werkself defender Hans Sarpei was also able to celebrate on reaching his 44th birthday. Sarpei played for the Black and Reds from 2007 to 2010 and he made 55 appearances during that time. Bayer 04 wish them a belated happy birthday.
And finally, we come to the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga and the Bayer 04 Women. The team led by head coach Achim Feifel were able to be happy having stayed up in spite of yesterday’s 5-0 defeat at the former and current champions VfL Wolfsburg. That was primarily due to the deserved 3-1 derby win against FC Köln in the previous week. The season ended with 17 points and a tenth-placed finish.
“We wanted to ensure staying up much earlier in the season. We aimed to finish eighth this season. Nevertheless, I’m happy we’re playing in the Bundesliga next season. In the next few weeks, we’ll review and analyse the season,” said Feifel, whose players can look forward to a well-deserved summer break after a small end of season party today, taking place in observance of the coronavirus measures.
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
Bayer 04 face Hamburger SV for the first time in almost eight years. Although the Hanseatic city team are often below par on the road, they are regularly in top form in front of their own fans. In particular, 18-year-old shooting star Luka Vuskovic is proving to be a real bonus for Merlin Polzin's team, both in attack and defence. However, that should not scare the Werkself: Not only was the last defeat against the newly promoted team 17 games ago, but Kasper Hjulmand's players are in with a chance of securing their fifth win in six games against HSV. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
