Eintracht have only lost one of their last 25 Bundesliga home matches. The men from Hesse boast five consecutive Bundesliga victories against the Werkself on home soil, more than against any other team. Despite today’s opponents’ current streak, goals are all but guaranteed. None of the 77 Bundesliga duels between the two has ended in a goalless draw.
Speaking of goals, Bayer 04 have scored 21 goals from set-piece situations so far this campaign, the joint most of all Bundesliga teams along with FC Bayern. Frankfurt have only scored three goals from set pieces so far, the fewest of all teams. Moreover, Leverkusen have conceded the fewest goals from set-piece situations of all Bundesliga sides.
In terms of personnel, the match will be special. Head coach Xabi Alonso will serve a one-match ban and watch the game from the stands, assistant coaches Sebastian Parrilla and Alberto Encinas taking over. Werkself captain Lukas Hradecky is set to make his 292nd Bundesliga appearance and set a new record of the most appearances of all non-German keepers, breaking Yann Sommer’s total of 291 matches. Hradecky is a former Eintracht player and made 101 Bundesliga appearances for SGE from 2015 to 2018, winning the DFB Cup with Frankfurt in 2018.
Eintracht lie in sixth place and are looking to qualify for European competition once again, but the remainder of the campaign is challenging. After today’s match against Bayer 04, Frankfurt travel to face Borussia Mönchengladbach before entertaining RB Leipzig in the fight for sixth place. Borussia Dortmund in fifth position are out of reach. Eintracht are four points clear of SC Freiburg, five clear of TSG Hoffenheim and six clear of FC Augsburg. Their comfortable gap might shrink in view of the upcoming matches. Our in-depth opposition profile has everything else you need to know about today’s opponents.
Travelling, catering, contact persons and more: The Bayer 04 Fan Liaison has summarised everything the 5,600 Werkself fans travelling to Frankfurt need to know. Click HERE for the fan info.
The German FA (DFB) has appointed Christian Dingert for today’s match. The 43-year-old referee has overseen 17 Werkself fixtures before, with Bayer 04 winning nine, drawing three and losing five. Dingert’s assistants will be Benedikt Kempkes and Nikolai Kimmeyer, with Sascha Stegemann as VAR.
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.
After their first win on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase, Olympiacos are still in with a good chance of reaching the play-offs in the UEFA Champions League. The 2024 UEFA Conference League winners will be looking to go one better in their home match against Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), but their stop scorer is unavailable. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Nathan Tella for the time being.
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After a week in the Algarve, the Bayer 04 Women returned home on Saturday afternoon. The Werkself had six training sessions, two friendlies and a lot of time together as a team. Roberto Pätzold's team will be back in action in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga next Friday for the start of matchday 15.
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