Today's meeting between the Black-and-Reds and the Wolves is their 56th in all competitions. The visiting team have constantly had the upper hand in recent times, with none of the last 15 Bundesliga games involving Leverkusen and Wolfsburg resulting in a home win. That includes the reverse fixture this season, which Bayer 04 won 2-1 in Lower Saxony. That was one of 11 defeats so far this season for the Wolves, who are currently having their joint-worst Bundesliga campaign and are still without a win in this calendar year. There have been six draws and two losses for Niko Kovac's side so far in 2024, who once played for Bayer 04 along with his brother and assistant coach Robert Kovac (Niko from 1996-1999, Robert from 1996-2001).
So, Wolfsburg are suffering a loss of form at the moment. With 25 points from 24 games, they sit in 13th place in the table having gone nine league matches without a win. They may have had little return in terms of points lately, but there's been no lack of desire and commitment during the winless run. The games have always been close, with VfL never losing by more than a single goal. The Wolves are in mid-table defensively with 39 goals conceded this season. More on today's visitors from Lower Saxony can be found in our in-depth opposition profile.
The Aktive Fanszene/NK 12 has planned a bus reception for today's match and is calling on all Bayer 04 fans to take part in the campaign. The fans will welcome the team bus at around 18:10 as it passes the corner of the stadium and Bismarckstraße.
Bayer 04 is again calling on all fans to donate food for the Leverkusener Tafel e.V. today. We ask everyone to take part in the campaign and contribute goods. Bayer 04 will accept the donations at the collection points next to the A-Block and at the West Entrance (near the Stelzenautobahn) from 17:30.
After the match, Jeremie Frimpong will help with the distribution of the foodstuffs, supporting the important social work of the volunteers
The works club is also once again calling for cup donations. The donation campaign is traditionally very popular with Bayer 04 fans. At the last home game against 1. FSV Mainz 05, for example, over 1,400 deposit cups were donated - more than ever before in the current season. This weekend, the proceeds will go to the Förderverein Fanprojekt Leverkusen e.V., and after the second leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 against Qarabag, the collection will once again go to Wildpark Reuschenberg. Every cup donation brings in two euros for a good cause. The collection containers are located in the lower tier in the immediate vicinity of the exits, and in the north curve centrally opposite block SD3/D3.
Bayer 04 thanks all the fans who have supported this campaign already and will continue to do so. Our heartfelt thanks also go to those who are supported by you!
Due to a switch upgrade in the Leverkusen Mitte station area, there are restrictions on today's train journeys. The regional trains RE1 and RE5 will be diverted via the S-Bahn tracks in the direction of Düsseldorf and, with a few exceptions, will not stop at Leverkusen Mitte. The S6 is not affected.
Bayer 04 is staging its second Member Matchday. This aims to attract members with a range of challenges, attractive discounts, exclusive competitions as well as numerous other events in and around the BayArena. The highlight is the first exclusive club collection. It all starts two hours before kick-off when stadium opens at 17.30 CET. More information HERE.
Daniel Siebert is the referee for today's fixture. The 39-year-old has taken charge of 23 Werkself matches to date (nine wins, six draws, eight defeats). Assisting him today are Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn, with Benjamin Cortus as the VAR.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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To all Bayer 04 fans: The Fanwelt will be closed all day next Monday 30 June. This is due to preparations for the change of kit supplier from Castore to New Balance on Tuesday 1 July.
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The Norway U23 international Julie Jorde has completed the move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Brøndby IF. The twelve-time champions of Denmark have signed the midfielder on permanent terms after her loan move from the Bundesliga to Denmark in the winter.
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It is almost two years since Bayer 04 new signing Abdoulaye Faye first stepped foot into the BayArena as a player for the Swedish club BK Häcken in the opening match in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign. A day before his nineteenth birthday, the central defender did not play in the 4-0 win for the Werkself but it was "an incredible night" for him on 21 September 2023 as he explained in his first interview on bayer04.de. "I watched the players and saw the fans. I liked it." It was also the first European night early on in his career. He only joined the then champions of Sweden in the cold north of Europe from his home in Senegal a few weeks before that special moment. Bayer04.de profiles our new defender.
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Welcome, Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old Senegalese central defender joins Leverkusen from top-flight Swedish club BK Häcken. In his first interview he talks about his move to Bayer 04 and his targets with the Werkself.
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