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.
Bayer 04 have fond memories of their encounters with Heidenheim, including a resounding 6-0 win in the reverse fixture. Kasper Hjulmand’s side would very much like to produce a similarly clinical display as they now head to the Voith-Arena for Matchday 27 on Saturday (15:30 CET). But they come up against a team fighting for their Bundesliga lives at the bottom of the table, 10 points adrift of safety with time running out. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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The Bayer 04 Women welcome FC Carl Zeiss Jena to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday night in a white retro look - and in a unique Bayer 04 ‘50 Years of Fan Clubs’ special edition jersey. In sporting terms, head coach Roberto Pätzold's team will face the Bundesliga's bottom team at 18:30 CET looking to keep their chances of third place in the table alive with six games left to play.
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Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action this weekend. Following their elimination in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, the Werkself are away to FC Heidenheim 1846 on Saturday, 21 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET) on Bundesliga matchday 27. Ahead of the clash in the eastern Swabian Alps, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the fixture and the chances of qualifying for the Champions League next term.
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A quick look at the table shows the situation at FC Heidenheim is serious. The Bundesliga bottom club are already ten points behind the play-off spot with their backs to the wall in sporting terms. With eight games left to play, avoiding relegation appears to be a mission impossible. Nevertheless, they are far from flying the white flag at the Schlossberg ahead of the clash with the Werkself this Saturday, 21 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without the two strikers in the immediate future. Caroline Kehrer suffered a torn ligament in her right knee and Amy Wrigge tore her cruciate ligament.
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