The Werkself have won back-to-back Bundesliga games against Leipzig for the first time, although both came at the BayArena (2-0 and 3-2). On the road, it’s only two wins from seven encounters. However, Leipzig – usually so impressive at home – were beaten 1-0 by Eintracht Frankfurt at the Red Bull Arena last weekend, ending their run of 12 home league games unbeaten. The only time in their top flight history that Die Roten Bullen have lost consecutive home fixtures was in April 2018 under Ralph Hasenhüttl. One of the opponents back then was in fact Leverkusen, who claimed a 4-1 victory in Saxony.
Saturday’s hosts come into the game in fourth place on 33 points. They are also through to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, but the two-time defending DFB Cup holders are out of that competition after a second-round defeat at Wolfsburg. Marco Rose’s side have dealt well with a large turnover of players in the summer. Lois Openda and Xavi Simons in particular have proven to be good transfers. The former has 11 goals and five assists from 17 Bundesliga games, while Simons boasts 13 goal contributions, of which nine are assists, ranking him joint-second in the division in that category. You can find out more about today’s opponents in our profile piece.
The Werkself will enjoy plenty of support in Leipzig with 2,900 Leverkusen fans making the journey. For those supporters in attendance, the Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team has summarised everything you need to know about today’s game at the Red Bull Arena HERE, including information on how to get there and who to speak to if required.
The German FA (DFB) have appointed Matthias Jöllenbeck as today’s referee. The 36-year-old has overseen three Werkself fixtures across all competitions before, with one win and two draws. His assistants are Robert Kemper and Jonas Weickenmeier. The VAR is Benjamin Brand.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast in German 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 on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app.
Bayer 04 have comfortably reached the DFB Pokal second round thanks to a 4–0 victory away to Liga 3 side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Patrik Schick put the Werkself ahead in the first 45 in the first competitive match under head coach Carles Martínez with debuts for new signings Miguel Gutiérrez, Afonso Moreira and Facundo Medina. After the break, Lucas Vázquez (47'), Nathan Tella (69') and Christian Kofane (79') also found the back of the net.
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Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
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Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
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With the 2026/27 season set to kick off with a DFB Pokal tie away to SV Wehen Wiesbaden (Saturday, 22 August, 13:00 CEST), the squad numbers for two Werkself players have now been confirmed. New signing Afonso Moreira will wear the number 9, which he has already worn in pre-season friendlies. Lucas Vázquez is switching from number 21 to number 17 – the number he wore successfully at Real Madrid for many years.
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Bayer 04 start the 2026/27 season away to third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Ahead of the DFB Pokal tie on Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The topics: anticipation, passion, the fans’ support – and the captaincy for the new season.
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