Matchday news #B04RBL: All in red for the next top match win

In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.

'Finally Red' for the run-in

As in previous years, Nordkurve12 has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ action for the Werkself run-in. Bayer 04 fans are asked to come to the matches against RB Leipzig (2 May, 18:30 CEST), VfB Stuttgart (9 May, 15:30 CEST) and Hamburger SV (16 May, 15:30 CEST) dressed in red to support the team. T-shirts will also be on sale at the NK12 stand at the stadium today Saturday, 2 May, from 15:00 - so fans can stock up in advance to support the campaign.

important information for last home games

The existing Bayer 04 prepaid card will be discontinued due to the change of caterer during the summer break. It is therefore recommended to use up any existing credit by the end of the current season if possible. Of course, no credit will expire beyond this date. In the new season, it will still be possible to pay with the old Bayer 04 prepaid card if there is sufficient credit, but it will no longer be possible to top up the card. Alternatively, the old card can be exchanged for a new one at any payment station in the lower tier of the BayArena in the new season.

There are also changes to the deposit cups for the new season. The design of the cups will change. We recommend redeeming the previous cups at the kiosks by the last home game against Hamburger SV in exchange for the deposit or putting them in the donation boxes.

#B04RBL: match facts

Back to sporting matters: One of the Werkself players certainly has fond memories of the previous game against RB Leipzig. Montrell Culbreath not only made his first competitive appearance for the Black and Reds in the clash with RBL shortly before Christmas 2025, but he also became the fourth-youngest Leverkusen Bundesliga goalscorer of all time with his goal to make it 3-1 at the age of 18 years, 3 months and 21 days. It was Bayer 04's fourth win in the last six games against RB Leipzig, with the Werkself scoring at least twice in each of those matches.

The two teams with the second and third most big chances in the Bundesliga face off on Saturday night. The Black and Reds have also scored the most goals in the first 15 minutes in the league so far (ten times), while the Red Bulls have yet to concede a goal in this phase of the game. The in-form Patrik Schick, among others, would certainly like to change that. With his brace in the 2-1 derby win against FC Köln, the Czechia striker broke the 100-goal mark for Bayer 04 and has now scored exactly ten times as often for Leverkusen as he did for Leipzig in the 2019/20 season.

Montrell Culbreath made Bayer 04 history in the previous game against Leipzig.

focus on the red bulls

With a win against the Werkself, RB Leipzig could secure qualification for the UEFA Champions League ahead of time and, with another three points, even have the best season in the club's history. The key to the RBL success has been their attacking play centred around top scorers and providers Christoph Baumgartner (12 goals, 9 assists) and Yan Diomande (12 goals, 8 assists). The 18-year-old Ivorian has the second-highest number of goal involvements of any teenager in Europe and has made the most dribbles in the Bundesliga (196). Although the RBL attack has high individual quality, taking chances is a weak point of coach Ole Werner's team. In addition, an important player could be absent against Bayer 04 - the lowdown on our next opponents.

Werkself Live

Perfectly prepared for the match against Leipzig? You can be - by checking out the new Werkself Live. The matchday flyer, which provides the most important facts and figures about the game in compact form, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively, it is available free online. This time on the XXL poster: Eliesse Ben Seghir. Click HERE for the ePaper.

Bayer 04 Fan Fabienne hoping for stem cell donation

As part of the regular collaboration between Bayer 04, Nordkurve12 and DKMS, the club is once again using its reach on matchday to support the donor identification campaign for Werkself fan Fabienne, who is hoping to find a suitable stem cell donor. This will take place on Sunday, 3 May, from 12:00 to 16:00 CEST at the Buffalo Movement fitness studio in Bergisch Gladbach. Further information on the campaign can be found HERE.

Tobias Welz is the ref

The match against the Red Bulls is Werkself game number 23 for referee Tobias Welz. At the BayArena, the 48-year-old will be supported by assistant referees Martin Thomsen and Mark Borsch, with Christian Dingert acting as the video assistant referee.

text updates and Werkself Radio

As in the previous meeting last December, the home game against RB Leipzig will be the Bundesliga top match at 18:30 CEST. The Werkself Radio with commentators Niko Hartmann and Florian Bechholz will report live from the BayArena. As always, the audio broadcast starts half an hour before kick-off. As usual, the live text service will also keep you up to date so that you don't miss the match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text updates can be found at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.