This is only the third competitive meeting between Heidenheim and Leverkusen at professional level. It is the first time the Werkself will visit the top flight’s newest club in the Bundesliga. It’s also an encounter featuring the three players who’ve covered the most ground in the division this season with Heidenheim’s Lennard Maloney (250.8 km/ 155.8 miles) up against Leverkusen duo Granit Xhaka (249.9 km/ 155.3 miles) and Alejandro Grimaldo (244.5 km/ 151.9 miles).
Heidenheim are currently 10th in the table with 27 points in their first-ever season at this level. They have moved comfortably clear of the relegation zone in recent weeks thanks to an eight-game unbeaten run, which is currently the best streak in the Bundesliga behind the Werkself. Frank Schmidt’s team are top when it comes to putting in the hard yards with a cumulative total of 2,557 kilometres (1,588 miles) covered by the team over 21 matches. Find out more about Heidenheim in our opposition profile.
Heidenheim have been led by coach Schmidt since the 2007/08 season when they were still in the fourth-tier Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. It makes the 50-year-old the longest-serving coach in the Bundesliga and in fact in German professional football history.
Heidenheim’s Voith-Arena is also the highest stadium in Germany’s top three divisions at 555 metres (1,820 feet) above sea level. It has a capacity of 15,000, making it the smallest ground in this year’s Bundesliga.
Bayer 04 midfielder Robert Andrich is making his first competitive return to Heidenheim, where he spent a Bundesliga 2 campaign under Schmidt in 2018/19. He quickly became a key part of the team there and caught the attention of newly promoted Union Berlin as they prepared for the Bundesliga in 2019. After two years in Berlin, Andrich moved to the BayArena.
Around 2,000 fans are making the trip to Heidenheim to support the Werkself. The Bayer 04 fan liaison team has put together all the key information on this away game as usual. You can find all that HERE.
The German FA (DFB) have appointed Harm Osmers as today’s referee. The 39-year-old has previously overseen 13 Werkself fixtures, with six wins, four draws and three defeats. His assistants are Robert Kemper and Dominik Schaal. Katrin Rafalski is the VAR.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
Bayer 04 will be preparing young talents for a potential sporting career in an even more systematic way in future. The club is breaking new ground to help develop their academic, social and personal skills as well. With the ‘Haus der Talente' or 'Talent House’, Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH is creating a new centre for the development of young athletes in a central location in Leverkusen. Once completed – expected to be in the summer of 2027 – the project will be run in partnership with TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen e.V.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-3 loss against Werder Bremen on the 26th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 Women have finished in fifth place after the best Bundesliga season in the club's history in terms of points. Roberto Pätzold's side went down 3-1 at home to SV Werder Bremen on the final matchday. With 46 points and 15 wins, they've bettered the previous record campaign of 2024/25. Despite periods of pressure, Cornelia Kramer's 73rd-minute strike was not enough at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, and the Werkself miss out on European qualification despite a strong end to the season.
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