This game sees two teams in contrasting form face off. While the Werkself have won nine of their 10 Bundesliga games so far this season, Union have lost each of the last eight. The head-to-head record is also in favour of Leverkusen, having lost only one of 11 previous competitive encounters (six wins, four draws).
Bayer 04 are calling for food donations for the Leverkusener Tafel. We therefore ask our fans to get involved and contribute food. Prior to kick-off, the club will be accepting donations at the collection points in the East (B1/B2) and North-West (entrance area near the Stelzen motorway) areas of the stadium from 13:30. You can find more information and a detailed list of the food required HERE. If you have any further questions, you can contact us by e-mail (soziales@bayer04.de) or by phone ((+49) 0214 8660 273).
Due to construction work, the RE7 and RE48 lines are currently not running at Leverkusen Opladen station. There will be a rail replacement service for fans travelling via this station.
The Berlin club are currently 16th in the Bundesliga table with six points from 10 games. The Köpenickers have managed just one solidary draw from their last 13 competitive fixtures, also losing their last eight in a row in the league. It is Union’s worst start to a Bundesliga season since first reaching this level in 2019. During the week they claimed a surprise 1-1 draw away at Napoli in the UEFA Champions League. An end to their 12-game losing run will have given the team confidence to turn around their form. You can find out more about our opponents in lowdown.
In co-operation with RWTH Aachen University, Bayer 04 will conduct a survey on fan travel today. The survey is aimed at all stadium visitors and will take place on site at the BayArena as well as digitally via an online questionnaire. Traffic counts will also be carried out at various junctions. Participation in the survey would be of great importance for optimising climate-friendly mobility. Further information can be found HERE.
The second district matchday of the season will also take place today against Union. Over the past few days and weeks, everyone in Quettingen has been able to enjoy activities organised by and with the Werkself. The highlight was the penalty shootout tournament between Opladen and Quettingen, which was also attended by club representative Stefan Kießling, Bayer 04 men’s player Ayman Aourir and women’s player Sofia Cava Marin. All information about the district match days can be found HERE.
Anyone wanting to read key information before the game should take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday programme, offering the most important facts and stats on the game in compact form, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively it is available free online. Click HERE for the e-paper.
The German FA (DFB) has appointed Timo Gerach as today’s referee. The 36-year-old has previously overseen one competitive fixture involving Leverkusen, which was the 2-0 win at home to Bochum last season. Gerach’s assistants are Florian Heft and Dominik Schaal. The VAR is Bastian Dankert.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
After being nominated for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025, Martin Terrier's wonderful strike for the opener against FC Köln is now also up for selection for the ARD Sportschau Goal of the Month award for December 2025. Bayer 04 fans have until 19:00 CET on 10 January to vote for the French forward.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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"In every ending lies a new beginning" is a well-known saying. This phrase has probably never been more apt at Bayer 04. After winning the Bundesliga in 2023/24 and finishing as runners-up in 2024/25, the summer was the most eventful ever in terms of transfers. Over ten players and the coach, including the coaching staff, left the club. A lot of the heroes of the double-winning side began a new chapter. It was the end of an era. And at the same time the beginning of a new, very exciting and promising chapter for Leverkusen. The Werkself welcomed more than a dozen new arrivals, including experienced title-winners and young talents, to build a new "foundation for a successful team capable of winning titles" under the Bayer Cross, as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. A new spirit, a new hunger, a new story was to be created. Bayer04.de looks back at the first few months of this story and the final act of the preseason.
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43 points at the end of the last Bundesliga season were not only more than ever before for the Bayer 04 Women, but also led to a record fourth-place finish. That was followed by a Hinrunde with many more victories, but also some setbacks. In an interview with bayer04.de, sporting director Achim Feifel takes stock at the end of the year.
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With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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