
Head coach Tayfun Korkut held a one-hour training session in the morning for his team at the Real Madrid training ground to go through final details for the second leg match at the Estadio Vicente Calderon. The mission is clear: The Werkself are looking to be the first team in the 24-year history of the Champions League to come back from a two-goal deficit away from home.
And anyone who saw the Bayer 04 players in the Madrid sunshine will have noticed that the team can hardly wait to get their chance tonight. To make amends for what happened at the BayArena three weeks ago and perhaps also for the game at the Calderon Stadium almost two years ago. Back then, Bayer 04 lost out to Atlético in the most deflating manner – on penalties.
Quintet still here
Tayfun Korkut has five players from the 2015 squad available for selection. IBernd Leno, Roberto Hilbert, Wendell and Karim Bellarabi join Julian Brandt who was on the bench two years ago. Ömer Toprak, Lars Bender, Hakan Calhanoglu and Stefan Kießling, who also played for Bayer 04 at Atlético, are sidelined on this occasion.
New haircut
Apropos 2015: Atlético did make it to the quarter-finals only to be beaten by local rivals Real Madrid. And who was responsible for that? Chicharito. The Mexican was playing for Real at the time and he scored the golden goal after a 0-0 scoreline at Atlético. Chicharito has a new haircut for his reunion with the team coached by Diego Simeone – even if it wasn't completely voluntary. Following a lost bet at the Super Bowl he was forced to have his hair cut as short as possible.
Fans on the road
1,200 Werkself fans have made their way to the Spanish capital and they were certainly in evidence. Black and red was to be seen along the Manzanares – at famous sites and in bars and cafés. We followed a group this morning and try to find out what's the fascination about the Estadio Vicente Calderon. Erik said: "The Calderon is a cult venue and before it's torn down we definitely want to enjoy the fantastic atmosphere here once again."
The Calderon: Legend and fortress
If the Werkself should actually achieve the miracle and beat Atlético then Bayer 04 would be the last team to play at the Calderon in the Champions League. The Rojiblancos have decided to move to the east of the city at the end of the season and this revered temple of football will be demolished in the summer. For Simeone's team, the Calderon has always been a fortress with only one defeat in the last 20 games in Europe's premier club competition.
Live on ZDF
"Every second counts" from 20.45 CET as Tayfun Korkut declared. For all fans unable to be in Madrid: Both ZDF (free TV) and Sky (pay TV) are broadcasting the match live tonight. There is huge media interest with over 492 members of the press accredited. All Bayer 04 fans can also follow the Live app with information and stories about the game from two hours before kick-off. Under the hashtag #AtletiB04 there is everything you need to know on the social channels Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.


Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.
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Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
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After matchday 31 and the 2-1 derby win in Cologne, one thing is certain: Bayer 04 will at least compete in the UEFA Europa League in the coming 2026/27 campaign. But the Werkself want more. Looking at the race for Champions League qualification and the remaining three league fixtures, including against direct rivals, bayer04.de outlines the possible scenarios in the season run-in.
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This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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