Bayer 04 and Heidenheim haven't faced each other very often in the past, with just three meetings between the two clubs in professional football. All of those have come in the last six years, with the Black-and-Reds doing the double in the league last season (4-1 at home, 2-1 away). Frank Schmidt's side came out on top in the last 16 of the DFB Cup in 2018/19, though, winning 2-1.
Talking of Schmidt, the 50-year-old is now in his 18th season as head coach of Heidenheim, making him by far the longest-serving boss in the Bundesliga. In fact, no coach in German professional football has ever been in charge of one club consecutively for longer than Schmidt. When he took over at FCH in September 2007, the club was in the Baden-Württemberg Oberliga, the fifth level of the pyramid. Via the Regionalliga South and then the third and second divisions, Heidenheim were promoted to the top flight for the first time in 2023 and qualified for European football in their debut season.
And they've more than proven they belong there too, with three wins from three matches putting them level on points with leaders Chelsea - their next opponents in the Conference League. However, it's not been going as well in the league lately. Having started with back-to-back victories, Heidenheim have won just one of their eight games since and taken just one point from the last five.
Strong physicality, high work rate and intensity without the ball define FCH's football. They're hard to hit on the counter having conceded just once after an opposition transition this season. Schmidt's men contest an average of 111 duels per game (a league high), and with a success rate of 53 percent they're among the top three in Germany. What's also admirable is that they've coped well with the departure of three key players over the summer. In Tim Kleindienst (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Jan-Niklas Beste (Benfica) and Eren Dinkci (SC Freiburg), Heidenheim lost their three most prolific attacking players. Despite that, they've managed to put together a competitive squad this season that's capable of fighting on two fronts in the Bundesliga and Conference League. More on our opponents in our in-depth profile.
As the year nears its end, Bayer 04 would like to honour some Bayer 04 fan clubs in the last three Bundesliga home games in 2024 to say thank you for their great support this year. At today's match against Heidenheim, Leverkusen fan clubs with 10-15 years of existence will be honoured during the half-time break and will be presented by Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer 04.
Bastian Dankert is the referee for today's meeting. The 44-year-old has taken charge of 14 competitive matches involving the Werkself to date (W7 D1 L6). Assisting Dankert today are René Rohde and Marcel Unger, with Felix Zwayer deployed as the VAR.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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