Should the Werkself avoid defeat in Köpenick, they will equal the Bundesliga record for longest unbeaten start to a season. That is currently held by Bayern Munich under Pep Guardiola in 2013/14 at 28 games, before a 1-0 loss in Augsburg on Matchday 29. That Guardiola side are also the only team ever to have more points after 27 matchdays than Leverkusen this year, with 77 instead of 73.
Bayer 04 have lost only one of their 12 competitive encounters with Union (W7, D4), which came in Berlin in January 2021 (1-0). However, the Werkself are without a win at the Alte Försterei since February 2020, earning only two of a possible nine points from the last three Bundesliga visits.
Life had only been positive for Union following their maiden Bundesliga promotion in 2019, achieving finishes of 11th, seventh, fifth and then fourth last season to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever. This term has been much tougher, though, and prompted the departure of long-time coach Urs Fischer in November 2023. Under successor Nenad Bjelica, the Irons reached the mid-point of the season in 15th place. Bjelica and his team have turned things around this year, earning 15 points from their 10 games in the second half of the campaign. Find out more about today’s opponents in our opposition profile.
Some 2,500 fans will be supporting the Werkself at the Alte Försterei, meaning the away section is sold out. As ever, the Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team has compiled key information ahead of this away game. You can find it all HERE.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Benjamin Brand as today’s referee. The 34-year-old has previously overseen six Werkself fixtures, producing four wins, one draw and one defeat. His assistants are Thomas Stein and Christian Dietz. Patrick Hanslbauer is the VAR.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today’s game. The German audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and Cedric Pick. 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 updates are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.
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Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
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After matchday 31 and the 2-1 derby win in Cologne, one thing is certain: Bayer 04 will at least compete in the UEFA Europa League in the coming 2026/27 campaign. But the Werkself want more. Looking at the race for Champions League qualification and the remaining three league fixtures, including against direct rivals, bayer04.de outlines the possible scenarios in the season run-in.
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This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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