Matchday news #B04BVB: Various campaigns around big game

There won’t just be plenty of excitement on the pitch as Bayer 04 host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena at 18:30 CET on Saturday. Outside the stadium there will be collection points for food donations to the Leverkusen Foodbank, which will also benefit from the profits of a jersey raffle in the Fanwelt afterwards. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off following the passing of long-time Werkself player Dieter Herzog, before two fan clubs are honoured for their decades-long support at half-time and fans receive a talk about Orange Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.

Food donations

For the seventh time, Bayer 04 is setting up collection points for donations in front of Block A (south-east) and in front of the north-west entrance (at the Stelzenautobahn). From when the stadium opens at 16:30 until kick-off at 18:30, fans can donate food and hygiene items to Tafel Leverkusen e.V. and do some good in the run-up to Christmas.

Orange Day: Campaign against violence against women

Bayer 04 already made a statement earlier in the week to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, known as Orange Day. Further activities will now take place during this match to raise even more awareness of this important issue. In addition to the symbolic installation of an orange seating area opposite the fan box (corner of C block), women with orange umbrellas will stand on the pitch as the teams enter. Finally, a half-time talk with Ursula Sautter, vice-president of UN Women Germany, and others will provide information on the topic.

Minute’s silence for Herzog

Part of Germany’s 1974 World Cup-winning team, Herzog moved to Bayer 04 two years later and, as captain, played a key role in the club's promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. After retiring, he remained with the club as a scout. Herzog passed away last week at the age of 79. In his honour, Bayer 04 will hold a minute's silence before kick-off and wear black armbands.

#B04BVB: Match stats

The Werkself have turned the BayArena into a fortress of late with three consecutive home wins without conceding a goal. They will be looking to continue this run on Saturday evening against BVB, especially as Leverkusen's record against the Black and Yellows is in need of improvement. However, Dortmund, who have been similarly successful so far this season, are in many ways the statistical opposite of Bayer 04. Kasper Hjulmand's team have spent the longest time in the lead in the league, while Niko Kovac's team has spent the second-fewest minutes trailing. BVB have scored 70 percent of their goals in the first half while conceding only a fifth of their goals before the half-time whistle.

Focus on Dortmund

Borussia have been particularly impressive defensively so far, conceding the fewest goals after Bayern Munich and, along with the league leaders, keeping the most clean sheets. The stable defence around Waldemar Anton, captain Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck, in which Ramy Bensebaini and loan signing Aaron Anselmino have also performed well so far, is largely responsible for BVB having suffered only two competitive defeats this season. However, many of Dortmund's wins have been rather lacklustre workmanlike victories. Everything else you need to know can be found in our detailed opposition profile.

Your end-of-year messages

From the stadium opening up until kick-off, a video greeting station will be set up in front of Block A3. There, all fans of Werkself and the entire Bayer 04 family can send their messages for the New Year.

Charity jersey raffle

Until the end of today, fans can still take advantage of the opportunity to win a signed away jersey from Hjulmand's team and a signed away jersey from the Bayer 04 Women's team. Raffle tickets can be purchased for €5 each at the Fanwelt service desk in the south of the BayArena. Each ticket will then be placed in a raffle box, from which two winners will be drawn after the deadline. The proceeds from the raffle will be donated to Tafel Leverkusen e.V. as part of the club's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Fan club honours

CEO Fernando Carro, 1988 UEFA Cup winner Falko Götz and club representative Stefan Kießling will honour the fan clubs Toni Tours Leverkusen 1985 and Rot-Schwarz-Wiesdorf 1980 in the area in front of the dugouts for their remarkable loyalty of 40 and 45 years respectively to the club. Here's to many more successful seasons together!

Welz in charge

The German FA (DFB) have appointed Tobias Welz to oversee this match between third and fourth in the Bundesliga. It’s the 48-year-old’s 21st Leverkusen fixture. His assistants are Martin Thomsen and Jonas Weickenmeier; Matthias Jöllenbeck is the VAR.