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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen continue building the squad for the new season in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. The 25-year-old midfielder Marlene Müller has joined the club from RB Leipzig on a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 are introducing changes to the ticket price structure for the 2026/27 season. In addition to adjusting the ticket prices, the ticket categories will also be reorganised. All season ticket holders have already been informed of the changes by e-mail. The most important information at a glance.
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Ibrahim Maza joined Bayer 04 from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2025. The youngster from Berlin developed into a difference-maker in his first season with the Werkself. Find out what makes the highly talented player tick in this very personal interview. Among other things, Maza talks about his Algerian-Vietnamese-German home, the role of his family and the importance of Islam for him both in his private life and in football...
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Talking to each other instead of about each other - that was the motto of the ‘Stadiontalk’ on Monday in the BayArena. Representatives from Bayer 04 and other companies, politicians and trainees from the region came together to discuss the career prospects for young people as well as existing challenges and hurdles.
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Bayer 04’s Ibrahim Maza is among the three nominees for the Bundesliga’s 2025/26 Rookie of the Season award. Fans have until 23:59 CEST on Thursday, 7 May to cast their votes in the official Bundesliga app.
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