
In jüngster Vergangenheit lieferten sich die Werkself und der VfB Stuttgart immer wieder hochklassige und hart umkämpfte Duelle. Die Schwaben lag in jedem der fünf Pflichtspiele unter Sebastien Hoeneß gegen Bayer 04 zwischenzeitlich in Führung. Am Ende aber gab es entweder ein Remis oder die Werkself hatte die Nase vorn. Leverkusen ist unter anderem deswegen seit 13 Duellen gegen den VfB ungeschlagen. Und überhaupt holte Stuttgart aus den vergangenen 27 Pflichtspielen gegen Schwarz-Rot nur einen Sieg.
Außergewöhnlich ist zudem dieser Fakt: Die heutige Begegnung mit den Schwaben ist die fünfte innerhalb der letzten elf Monate und darüber hinaus die vierte in Folge, die in Leverkusen stattfindet (nach Rückrunden-Spiel, DFB-Pokal-Viertelfinale, Supercup).
The eighth-placed team (on twelve points, three behind Bayer 04) come to Leverkusen in confident mood. They have recently won three games on the bounce. Three important points in the UEFA Champions League away to Juventus (1-0) was followed by a 2-1 win in the Bundesliga against Holstein Kiel and a couple of days ago a 2-1 victory in the DFB Pokal against FC Kaiserslautern. The league win against newly promoted Kiel was the 29th win in 50 Bundesliga games for Sebastian Hoeneß as the coach at VfB Stuttgart. He has thereby equalled a club record with no other VfB coach winning more often in their first 50 games. Further information on VfB can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
The City of Leverkusen asks all spectators coming to today's Bundesliga game to travel by public transport, bicycle or on foot. Further information (in German) can be found HERE on the Stadt Leverkusen website.
Mouth open, swab in, become a donor – and then get behind the Werkself! The charity organisation Nordkurve karitativ, in partnership with DKMS (German Bone Marrow Donor Registry), are holding a stem cell donor registration event at the home game against VfB Stuttgart. The aim is motivate as many fans as possible to register as a stem cell donor with DKMS. The donor registration event will be held in front of blocks B, C, D, E and F where there will also be a stand providing information on organ donations. Further information is available HERE.
Anyone wanting to discover the latest information ahead of the cup tie can take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday magazine, that includes key facts and stats on the match, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively it is available free online. HERE is the e-paper.

The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Daniel Siebert for tonight's match. The 40-year-old referee has previously been in charge of 25 games involving the Werkself (ten wins, seven draws, eight defeats). Siebert's assistants today are Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn with Benjamin Cortus in action as the VAR.
The match will be broadcast live on DAZN. As ever, supporters unable to be at the match can follow the game on Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep fans up-to-date. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.

A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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Bayer 04 produced a dominant and impressive 4-0 win over Union Berlin as they picked up three points in their first home game of the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign. Exequiel Fernández opened the scoring after only 41 seconds, with Facundo Medina doubling the lead before the half-hour mark. Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza continued the procession in the second period, in which Moussa Diaby came on for his first Leverkusen appearance for over three years.
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