Bottom of the table SV Darmstadt entertain league leaders Bayer 04. The top side in the Bundesliga has won twelve of the last 14 matches between the teams in 18th and first positions. There are big differences between the two sides and not just in terms of the table: The team from Hessen have by far the weakest defence in this Bundesliga campaign (47 goals conceded) while Bayer 04 have let in the least goals this term (14). In addition, no other Bundesliga team has had as few touches in the opposition penalty area as Darmstadt (340). Bayer 04 have more than twice as many with 734 touches in the opponents' box.
It has been a long while since SV Darmstadt have secured three points in a game. The last time was in October of last year when the Lilies beat Werder Bremen 4-2 on Matchday 6 and the following eleven league games did not produce a single win for the newly promoted team now in danger of relegation – no other Bundesliga team has gone so long without a victory. Darmstadt, who have seen four red cards in the league this season, are currently bottom of the table on eleven points. Mainz 05 are above them level on points and FC Köln have one point more in sixteenth. Further news on today's opposition can be found in the lowdown on our next opponents.
1,700 Werkself fans will be supporting the team in Darmstadt. The Bayer 04 fan liaison team has put together all the key information on the away game as usual. The fan information is HERE.
he German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Tobias Reichel as today's referee. The 38-year-old has been in charge of five Werkself games to date including the 4-0 win against Schalke 04 in October 2022 with head coach Xabi Alonso in the Werkself dugout for the first time. Reichel’s assistants today are Marco Achmüller and Christian Bandurski and the VAR is Johann Pfeifer.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and co-commentator Mario Bast, who has stepped in for Cedric Pick who is ill. 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 at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
The Bundesliga has announced the nominees for the ‘Top Goal of the Month’ award for October. Fans of the Werkself can now vote for, amongst others, Robert Andrich’s stunning volley from the match against Mainz 05 or Moussa Diaby’s curling shot into the top corner from the same fixture. Voting, exclusively on the Bundesliga app, remains open until Sunday, 8 November (23:59 CET).
Show more
Bayer 04 host Borussia Mönchengladbach at the BayArena on matchday 12 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
Show more
Bayer 04 host Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena on matchday 14 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
Show more
“As far as mentality and determination are concerned, we have nothing to reproach ourselves for,” Robert Andrich said up after the first home defeat for the Werkself this term. In terms of their play, too, the Black and Reds put in a respectable performance for long stretches of this intense and physical match, outperforming VfB Stuttgart in most areas. It was only in terms of efficiency in front of goal that the Swabians had the edge over the Werkself. Head coach Carles Martínez wants to learn from this so that, in future, they can “win this sort of match too”. The Werkself review.
Show more
