Bayer 04 and Heidenheim are meeting for only the fourth time in the German top flight, and the Werkself have won all three so far. The last encounter earlier this season ended in a 5-2 victory, with Patrik Schick netting a hat-trick. Talking of goals: Bayer have scored a total of 11 goals in three games against FCH - only against SSV Ulm 1846 (13 goals) did the Werkself find the net more times in their first three league meetings. Heidenheim, meanwhile, haven't conceded more goals in their first three Bundesliga matches against any other opponents.
On the road, Bayer 04 remain unbeaten in their last 30 Bundesliga away outings (W22, D8). That's the second-longest run in the league's history after Bayern Munich's 33-match streak from April 2012 to March 2014. Now the best away team (29 points) meet the weakest home team (10 points) in this Bundesliga season at the Voith-Arena, which lies 555 metres above sea level.
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 were bottom of the table a few weeks ago and had already been written off by many football pundits. The second Bundesliga season for the club from Baden-Württemberg appeared to be over. But long-serving coach Frank Schmidt's side have now climbed into the play-off spot thanks to a three-match unbeaten run and go into this Saturday's clash with the Werkself with confidence. More on the strengths, weaknesses and key players of today's hosts in the opposition profile.
The Werkself will be backed by 2,000 fans in Heidenheim. As usual the Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team have put together all relevant information for those travelling - HERE is the fan information.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Tobias Stieler for this fixture. The 43-year-old referee has overseen 31 competitive matches involving Leverkusen to date, with a record of 25 wins, three draws and three defeats. Assisting Stieler today are Christian Gittelmann and Mark Borsch, with Pascal Müller as the VAR.
The next friendly for Bayer 04: A week after the 2-0 win in Bochum, the Werkself are away to top-flight Dutch side Fortuna Sittard today, Friday 1 August (kick-off: 19:00 CEST). The latest information on the match at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion close to the German border is here in today's match news.
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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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The Werkself entertain Italian club Pisa FC, newly promoted to Serie A, at the official season opener at the BayArena on Tuesday, 5 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST). Bayer 04 fans can look forward to a varied programme of events and exciting promotions. Tickets for the season opener are on open sale with over 18,000 tickets sold so far. Read on for the latest information.
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An experienced addition to the Bayer 04 U19 coaching staff: Former Werkself player Hüzeyfe Doğan starts as assistant coach to Sergi Runge on 1 August.
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