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.
With the much-celebrated 2-1 derby win against 1. FC Köln, the Bayer 04 Women underlined their credentials as one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Anyone wishing to support the Werkself in the stadium in the race for third place can now purchase tickets for the home match against FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Tickets are also still available for the upcoming clash against TSG Hoffenheim at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday, 22 February. The latest information at a glance.
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Let's give it our all one more time! Today, Tuesday 17 February (live on the VBL Twitch channel from 18:00 CET), the #B04eSports team play the remaining three preliminary round matches of the fifth and final showdown of the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. The Leverkusen console pros go up against 1. FC Nürnberg, 1. FC Magdeburg and Bayern Munich, aiming to secure their place in the offline knockout round and pick up valuable points for the overall table and the battle to get into the final event for the German Club Championship. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 4-0 win against St. Pauli on Matchday 22 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
Bayer 04 claimed their third victory of the season over St. Pauli with a dominant display in the Bundesliga on Matchday 22, winning 4-0 at the BayArena. Quickfire headed goals from Jarell Quansah and Patrik Schick in the first half set the Werkself on their way. Another Edmond Tapsoba header after the break and Ernest Poku’s long-range finish rounded off another three points.
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Barely two weeks since beating St. Pauli in the DFB Pokal quarter-finals, Bayer 04 again welcome the Hamburg club to the BayArena for Matchday 22 in the Bundesliga this Saturday (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The visitors received a welcome confidence boost last weekend with a win over VfB Stuttgart, but the head-to-head record is still very much in Leverkusen’s favour, which Kasper Hjulmand’s team will look to maintain. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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