The opposition Darmstadt are not to be underestimated. Even if Darmstadt have lost two competitive matches in succession under Norbert Meier for the first time and also failed to score twice in succession under the new coach, the Werkself will again "give 100 per cent to play our own game."
"We want to give our fans, who provided such great support at Wembley, another great afternoon," declared Roger Schmidt with the positive impression from London still evident. "The match against Tottenham Hotspur went like a dream. We work hard all year for nights like that as we aim to qualify for the Champions League."
However: "The trip was very tiring for us all – we landed at four in the morning. I'll see the lads after the final training session and then I'll see what condition my players are in."
Without Kampl and Bender
The stresses and strains of recent weeks are noticeable in terms of personnel: Kevin Kampl misses out due to a bruised foot. "We are relieved that it's only heavy bruising and not a broken metatarsal," said Schmidt. The Werkself skipper Lars Bender is also sidelined according to Schmidt. In addition long-term injuries Karim Bellarabi, Vladlen Yurchenko and Joel Pohjanpalo are all still unavailable. Kevin Volland is suspended.
Hakan Calhanoglu is fit again! Calhanoglu "like all the substitutes on Wednesday night did his job very well. It's important that he's fit again," said Schmidt who, at the end of the press conference, spoke in detail about home-grown talent Kai Havertz who at the age of 17 years, four months and 22 days became the second youngest German Champions League debutant after Serge Gnabry (17 years 3 months and 10 days), and Benny Henrichs: "The same applies to both of them: To succeed at the highest level you need a certain strength and determination in challenges. Henrichs has shown that very quickly and made great progress. And Havertz is also in the position to win challenges at the highest level. Who we are happy to have him and other great young talents at the club. I see it as one of our tasks to promote such talented players."
The BayArena is sold out on Saturday with the exception of the visitors section. Around 1,300 Darmstadt fans are expected.
The long-standing successful collaboration between Bayer 04 and the transport service provider wupsi GmbH has been expanded: From January 2026, 100 wupsi bikes with Bayer 04 branding will be available for hire throughout the city of Leverkusen. They will complement the many existing offers and services that provide key support, especially for fans travelling to and from home matches at the BayArena.
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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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After a two-week winter break, the Werkself resume training on Sunday, 4 January. The first session in 2026 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium starts at 11:00 and is open to fans. Bayer 04 look forward to welcoming supporters at the start of 2026. The Werkself schedule for the new year.
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After being nominated for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025, Martin Terrier's wonderful strike for the opener against FC Köln is now also up for selection for the ARD Sportschau Goal of the Month award for December 2025. Bayer 04 fans have until 19:00 CET on 10 January to vote for the French forward.
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