The online Sunday edition of the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger believes Bayer 04 missed the chance of taking a big step forward to the Champions League against Stuttgart. A combination of carelessness and silly mistakes affected the team coached by Heiko Herrlich in the 1-0 defeat against VfB Stuttgart and now they have to rely on other teams and better performances of their own in the final two games against Werder Bremen and Hannover 96." Another reason behind the 1-0 scoreline was the performance of Stuttgart's outstanding keeper Ron-Robert Zieler: "The VfB goalkeeper reacted brilliantly half a dozen times including the penalty save. And his one mistake on 66 minutes, when he gave the ball away to Bellarabi, he rectified himself."
The Sonntags Express also criticizes the Werkself finishing: "Are Bayer going to let Champions League qualification slip through their hands in the run-in? After three defeats in succession nerves are jangling under the Bayer cross. Why? Because the Bayer attack was a complete flop! Squandering chances started on 15 minutes … Bayer's first culprit. Lucas Alario missed the gift of a penalty. In the absence of the usual penalty taker Wendell, the Argentinian hit the ball towards the left corner of the net at a comfortable height - no problem for Stuttgart's keeper Zieler. It was Kevin Volland's turn in the second half. After a brilliant solo run by Lars Bender, the unmarked striker fired the ball into the stands from eleven yards out."
The Stuttgarter Zeitung report from Leverkusen focuses on VfB Stuttgart's European ambitions: "The VfB captain Christian Gentner made the Stuttgart fans happy with a header back across the Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The newcomers to the top flight won 1-0 at Bayer Leverkusen thanks to Gentner's strike and are now on 45 points with two games to play. The team coached by Tayfun Korkut are just one point behind Eintracht Frankfurt in seventh place in the Bundesliga. After matchday 34, that position would ensure qualification for the Europa League."
And Kicker also sees the Swabian team as candidates for the Europa League: "A mercilessly efficient VfB Stuttgart have moved up to seventh thanks to a 1-0 win at Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The Swabians only needed one real chance and an impressive Ron-Robert Zieler to secure a flattering win against the Werkself who missed a number of chances and have now conceded the fourth Champions League qualification place to Hoffenheim with a host of missed chances."
Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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A bitter end to the fifth showdown of the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship as the #B04eSports team failed to take any points in the three remaining matches of the preliminary online round of the fifth and final showdown, missing out on the offline round. They can no longer take points in the overall table. Bayer 04 slipped out on the top eight, so direct participation in the final event for the German Club Championship is no longer possible, with Bayer 04 having to contest the play-offs.
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A rematch in Athens: On Wednesday, 18 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), the Werkself face Greek double winners Olympiacos for the second time this season at the Karaiskakis Stadium. After the encounter in the league phase, it's now time for the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-offs. Ahead of the game, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about how his side will approach the clash, while captain Robert Andrich explained how the team will try to dampen the atmosphere in the stadium tomorrow.
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With the much-celebrated 2-1 derby win against 1. FC Köln, the Bayer 04 Women underlined their credentials as one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Anyone wishing to support the Werkself in the stadium in the race for third place can now purchase tickets for the home match against FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Tickets are also still available for the upcoming clash against TSG Hoffenheim at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday, 22 February. The latest information at a glance.
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Let's give it our all one more time! Today, Tuesday 17 February (live on the VBL Twitch channel from 18:00 CET), the #B04eSports team play the remaining three preliminary round matches of the fifth and final showdown of the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. The Leverkusen console pros go up against 1. FC Nürnberg, 1. FC Magdeburg and Bayern Munich, aiming to secure their place in the offline knockout round and pick up valuable points for the overall table and the battle to get into the final event for the German Club Championship. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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