The record of recent encounters favours Bayer 04: The Werkself have beaten SC Freiburg in the last three meetings. SCF only have a longer run of defeats in the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund (seven).
SC Freiburg are having their fourth best season with 51 points after 31 Bundesliga fixtures. The club are in the top four for the last three matchdays for the second time. Interesting however: SCF are the first team in the top four since Hertha Berlin (in 1999/00) to have a negative goal difference (-3) at this stage of the campaign.
SC Freiburg fans have been on an emotional roller coaster several times this season. SCF were third in the table on matchday seven after five wins but slipped down to ninth place just before Christmas after the 5-1 defeat away to the Werkself. And after three more defeats in succession at the start of year, Julian Schussler's team appeared to be mired in a relegation battle. But the fifth-worst defence in the Bundesliga up to that point was suddenly as safe as the Bank of England after the next six games. SCF are now back in fourth place – the dream of the first Champions League qualification in the club's history is alive and kicking. Further information on SC Freiburg can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
2,400 fans will be supporting the Werkself at the away game in Freiburg. As usual, the Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team have compiled the necessary relevant info. Click HERE for the fan information.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Daniel Siebert as the referee for today's game. The 40-year-old has previously been in charge of 28 matches involving the Werkself (11 wins, nine defeats, eight draws). Siebert's assistants today are Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn with Mike Pickel in action as the VAR.
The match will be broadcast live on DAZN. As ever, supporters unable to be at the match can follow the game on Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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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 personal 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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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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