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.
Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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A special surprise: during the preview for the 'Fierté Burkinabè' documentary about Edmond Tapsoba, Bayer 04 directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes announced Tapsoba's contract extension until 2031 together with the centre-back. He then spoke to Werkself-TV about his time in Leverkusen so far and future ambitions...
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This evening was deeply moving: At a really special setting, Bayer 04 exclusively presented the specially produced documentary ‘Fierté Burkinabè’ ("Burkinabe Pride") about Edmond Tapsoba on Tuesday. For the preview at the BayArena, the parents of the Werkself player and other close companions travelled all the way from his African homeland Burkina Faso. The 45-minute film shows Tapsoba's extraordinary career from his beginnings in Ouagadougou to Leverkusen as well as the work of his foundation "Fondation Edmond Tapsoba", with representatives from Burkina Faso also present. Fans can watch the documentary free of charge on Werkself TV and YouTube from Wednesday night at 20:00 CEST.
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Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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