Both teams are without a key midfielder due to suspension. World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios will sit this one out after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. Bochum are without their second-best goalscorer in Kevin Stöger for the same reason.
The history books show that the Werkself have won 19 of their 28 Bundesliga home meetings with the Ruhr club (D4, L5) and have scored in each of the last 19. It is the club’s best ongoing scoring run at home to a current Bundesliga opponent. The average over the 28 games is 1.9 Leverkusen goals.
Bochum are battling to stay in the Bundesliga once again this season after surviving the drop in the last two years. Their record so far this term is 16 points from 15 games, placing them 14th in the table, six points above the automatic relegation spots. The Ruhr club’s strengths are in the air, where they are joint leaders in the division for challenges won with 409. However, their accuracy with the ball at their feet is the worst in the league at only 74.9 percent. Bochum have conceded 29 goals to the Werkself’s 12, which is the fewest of all teams. You can find out more about today’s opponents in our profile piece.
On the grounds surrounding the BayArena, there are numerous Christmas activities for young and old today, including a children's carousel (see map).
Today's game has once again been declared a district matchday. Over the past few days and weeks, all residents of Küppersteg have been able to enjoy activities organised by and with the Werkself. The highlight was the school visit to the GGS Kerschensteinerschule, including a nutrition workshop in which Bayer 04 players Gustavo Puerta and Verena Wieder also took part. Sports nutrition coach Lena Kadlec led the workshop and explained to the children how important a healthy diet is for recovery, energy levels, health and growth.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast in German begins 30 minutes before kick-off. 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 on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app.
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 HERE.
The German FA (DFB) have appointed Daniel Schlager as today’s referee. The 34-year-old has previously overseen eight Werkself fixtures, with four wins, two draws and two defeats. His assistants are Sven Waschitzki-Günther and Arno Blos, with Matthias Jöllenbeck as VAR.
Given it’s the final game of the year, we’re inviting fans at the BayArena to stay a few minutes longer than usual after the final whistle. Two Christmas carols will be sung together with the team, backroom staff and fans to enjoy a festive and atmospheric end to the year together. The shuttle buses for the return transfer to the car parks and public transport stations will therefore be running 10 minutes later than usual so that all fans can sing along without worrying about getting home.
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 personal 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…
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
Show more
Two months of preparation, five friendlies and the return of a familiar training camp location: After finishing fifth in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga last season, the Werkself will return to training on Tuesday, 23 June. Bayer04.de outlines the key dates in the 2026 summer timetable.
Show more
With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
Show more
