The Werkself are currently top of the Bundesliga with nine points and lead the table for the first time since matchday 12 in the 2020/21 season. Bayern Munich are second also on nine points. The two sides are the only teams to start with three wins in the first three matchdays this term. The first time the Werkself achieved that was 20 years ago in the 2003/04 season and that was repeated ten years ago in the 2013/14 season. Four wins on the bounce at the start of the season would be a new club record.
Bayer 04 and FC Bayern both have the strongest finishers in the league. The Werkself player Victor Boniface currently has 21 attempts on goal and the FC Bayern forward Harry Kane has 14 attempts. Boniface is also currently the top scorer and provider in the Bundesliga with six goal involvements.
There have been a number of changes in personnel at the record champions: Sadio Mané, Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard, Marcel Sabitzer, Yann Sommer, Ryan Gravenberch and several other players have left FCB. In addition, Josip Stanisic has joined the Werkself on a year-long loan. FC Bayern have had fewer new signings but have made a record transfer acquisition: Harry Kane joined from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. The England captain has scored three goals and provided one assist. FCB have strengthened their defence with the acquisition of the South Korean Min-Jae Kim plus Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro have also added to the squad. Further information on FC Bayern is available in the lowdown on our next opponents.
The team under head coach Xabi Alonso can look forward to the support of 5,000 Leverkusen fans in the away section at the Allianz Arena in the Bavarian state capital.
The German Football Association (DFB) have appointed Daniel Schlager as the match referee. This will be the seventh fixture for the 33-year-old involving the Werkself (four wins, one draw, two defeats). He will be assisted by Sven Waschitzki-Günther and Arno Blos. Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck is the VAR official.
The German Football League (DFL) has called for a minutes silence before kick-off for the victims of the disasters in Morocco and Libya.
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 Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key events in the match against FC Bayern. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app – just log on.
An overview of current ticket sales for Bayer 04 home and away matches in the 2026/27 season.
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Three games, three wins: Bayer 04 secured a 2–0 victory at Greek Cup winners OFI Crete with Jonas Hofmann scoring both goals at the Pankritio Stadium, right on the Mediterranean coast (35’, 38’). As a result, the Werkself have temporarily taken over top spot in the table on Matchday 3 of the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.
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'40 Years Across Europe' - and for the first time ever, Bayer 04 are travelling to Greece's biggest island for a European clash. There they'll take on OFI Crete - full name Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou (‘Association of Sports Friends of Heraklion’) - on Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase. The meeting with the Greek Cup winners kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday 22 October at the Pankritio. We’ll bring you all the latest updates from the trip here…
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Two games – two wins: Bayer 04 have picked up maximum points from their two matches so far in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. What's more, of their previous 14 UEL matches, Bayer 04 have lost just one. Away to OFI Crete, Carles Martínez’s side are looking to add another successful performance on the European stage to their string of impressive displays. The Greeks, for their part, have been waiting four matches for a win, but Leverkusen should be on their guard: OFI’s most recent victory came against a German side. Today's matchday news.
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