The Werkself are on a run of five competitive meetings without defeat against Bayern for the first time ever (W3, D2). The last meeting saw Leverkusen claim a 1-0 victory in the last 16 of the DFB Pokal in Munich back in December. The last German club to enjoy a longer unbeaten streak against the Bavarians was Hamburg (six games between 2007 and 2009). In total, the Werkself have been victorious 20 times over Bayern in the Bundesliga, with 16 of those coming at the BayArena.
However, Bayern are enjoying a very good campaign, with their total of 54 points from 21 games the best they’ve had in nine years. They have also won their last seven league fixtures for their best run since February-September 2020 (14 wins).
There are a number of stats where Leverkusen and Bayern currently top the standings. They’re the two teams in the Bundesliga with the most goals scored, most shots taken, fewest shots faced, the best pass completion and the best success rate in duels. There are also several key head-to-heads, such as Harry Kane and Patrik Schick, who are currently the two top scorers among players still in the Bundesliga with 21 and 14 goals respectively (Omar Marmoush has 15 but left Eintracht Frankfurt in January). And then there’s the two top-scoring midfielders in Florian Wirtz (nine goals) and Jamal Musiala (10), while Wirtz is also the division’s top provider with nine assists.
“I think it’ll be a cool game. I’d definitely like to go and watch it as a fan,” said Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich ahead of this encounter at the BayArena. The Munich club arrive in Leverkusen in confident mood after their 2-1 win at Celtic in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie on Wednesday, while they are also eight points clear of the Werkself at the top of the Bundesliga. Things are looking good on the injury front as well, with coach Vincent Kompany having an almost fully fit squad at his disposal. You can read more about Bayern in our lowdown on our next opponents.
The German FA (DFB) have appointed Daniel Siebert as today’s referee. It’s the 40-year-old’s 27th Bundesliga game involving the Werkself (W10, D8, L8). His assistants are Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn. The VAR is Benjamin Cortus.
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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