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.
For the third time in a row, the Leverkusen eSports players have made it through to the final round of the VBL Club Championship. From 7 to 8 March, they will compete for the German Club Championship at XPERION in Hamburg. At the start of the final round, they face Hamburger SV in the Round of 16. The match starts at 19:30 CET on Saturday, 7 March and will be broadcast live on the VBL Twitch channel. The eSports preview.
Show more
"We played with pace and patience today. That was the decisive factor," said managing director sport Simon Rolfes following the 1-0 win at Hamburger SV in the rearranged match on Wednesday night. Although the Werkself still had room for improvement in terms of capitalising on their chances against the Red Shorts, they produced a different display to last time out and were rewarded for a concentrated performance over 90 minutes. The Werkself review features reaction to the game, including from a happy starting XI debutant, as well as the match stats.
Show more
Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-0 win in rearranged match at Hamburger SV on Matchday 17 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
Show more
The second attempt was a successful one: the Werkself won 1-0 at Hamburger SV in the rearranged Bundesliga Matchday 17 encounter. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's side dominated play from the start and eventually scored the winning goal through Christian Kofane in the 73rd minute.
Show more
