Bayer 04 and Darmstadt 98 have previously faced each other seven times. The Werkself came out on top in five matches with the Lilies winning twice. The last fixtures in the Bundesliga were in 2016/17 with Bayer 04 winning both games (3-2, 2-0).
A win against Darmstadt would continue the successful start to the season: The first two Bundesliga games have been one for the first time in four years. There have twice been three victories at the start of a campaign: In 2013/14 and 2003/04.
The visitors from Darmstadt have had a disappointing start of the season with two defeats – that did not happen in their first four seasons in the Bundesliga. Over seasons, the Lilies have lost their last four games – the longest run of defeats since January 2021.
Bayer 04 staging the Bayer Sports Family matchday for the first time at the home game against Darmstadt 98. With this event and many others, the historic connection linking Bayer 04, TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Bayer AG is being revived under the Cross. The programme of the matchday starts with the stadium opening at 13.30 CEST and there will be a wide variety of highlights on the concourse at the BayArena.
A special experience awaits for a large number of TSV young athletes. The Bayer sports clubs will provide all the player escorts, banner and flagbearers on the home matchday against Darmstadt. They will all wear their own club kits as they come into the stadium thereby representing a large number of different sports including boxing, fencing, judo and athletics. The main and shirt sponsor Barmenia is foregoing the addition of the Barmenia name. Many thanks for this generous gesture. Further information on the Bayer Sports Family matchday programme is available HERE.
The new season also brings changes in the catering offer at the BayArena. A Veggie Corner is a new food option in the north-east side of the stadium. Here you can buy vegan Bratwurst, vegan Currywurst and ‘No chicken nuggets’. There is also the Kids menu for the youngest Bayer 04 fans. Drop by! Further information and prices are available HERE.
With rail cancellations at Leverkusen Mitte station there will again be challenges with travel to and from the game. Information on replacement buses is published and constantly updated on the Deutsche Bahn website.
Anyone wanting to read key information before the game should take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday programme, offering in compact form the most important facts and stats on the game, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively it is available free online. Click HERE for the e-paper.
SV Darmstadt 98 have lost all three of their first games in the new season. The unexpected 3-0 defeat in the first round of the DFB-Pokal away to fourth tier FC Homburg was particularly painful. "For the first time in my two years at the Lilies I have to say: We can only apologise to our fans for this performance and going out of the cup," declared coach Torsten Lieberknecht. His team did lose the first two Bundesliga matches away to Eintracht Frankfurt (0-1) and at home to Union Berlin (1-4) but Darmstadt looked completely different in those games. Further information on the newly promoted club is available in our lowdown on the next opponents.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Sven Jablonski as the referee for today's game. For the 33-year-old match official this will be his twelfth game involving the Werkself (seven wins, one draw, three defeats). Jablonski's assistant referees are Sascha Thielert and Marcel Unger with Harm Osmers in action as the VAR.
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 Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann. 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 – just log on.
The penultimate Bundesliga matchday of the calendar year marks the end of an eventful first half of the season for the Bayer 04 Women. After seven wins, one draw and four defeats from the first twelve games of the season, coach Roberto Pätzold's team can go above Werder Bremen in the table with a win on Friday, 12 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET).
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The third showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 kicks off for the Leverkusen eSports team this Thursday, 11 December (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Red will once again take on six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round, which will take place at this third showdown on 19 December in Cologne. Showdown One winners Bayer 04 will face FC St. Pauli, who won the second showdown last month, among others. The lowdown on first three opponents in this online preliminary round.
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Alejandro Grimaldo, of course! With his late equaliser (88') in the Champions League clash against Newcastle United, the Spaniard rescued a point for the Werkself, who took the lead through an own goal by Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes (13') but went with two goals for the visitors scored by Anthony Gordon (51') and Lewis Miley (74'). It was the third draw for Bayer 04 in the current 2025/26 campaign on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase.
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The Werkself will be looking to continue their run in the Champions League against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The two victories without conceding a goal at Benfica (1:0) and Manchester City (2-0) will hopefully be followed by a win at home at the BayArena. Against the English side, who have a player with a Black and Red past in their ranks, the way to victory could be through efficiency in attack and quick transitional play. The latter in particular has recently caused the Magpies problems away from home on the European stage. Fans can also get the stylish matchday sticker for their Sound of Dreams tour pass at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt. The matchday news.
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For the first time ever, Bayer 04 have reached the knockout phase of the UEFA Youth League. At the end of the league phase, the Leverkusen U19s secured a 2-1 home win against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December. Montrell Culbreath scored before half-time and Ferdinand Pohl doubled the lead after the restart in the clash with the English side. The UCL youth competition continues at the beginning of February with the Round of 32, which will be played away from home without a second leg.
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