The game will be refereed by William Cullom supported by his fellow Scottish match officials. Read on for stats and facts ahead of #B04atleti:
Schade: "Now we want more"
There is no doubt that the Spaniards are the favourites tonight at the BayArena having qualified for the final of Europe's premier club competition twice in the past three years. It is equally clear that Bayer 04 go into the clash with the Rojiblancos in enthusiastic and confident mood as Michael Schade emphasised. "Our young team has already achieved great things by qualifying for the Round of 16 but now we want more. Our target is the quarter-finals – regardless of the strength of Atlético," declared the CEO.
Werkself cross Simeone’s path
Diego Simeone is often a partisan livewire on the touchline at Atlético matches but he was full of respect for the hosts at the pre-match press conference. "It won't be easy for us. Bayer 04 have a good team who have gained confidence recently. Havertz and Brandt are very quick and you always have to look out for Chicharito as he's tough to handle," said the Madrid coach. The Argentinian manager led his team out against the Werkself in the Round of 16 two years ago and also encountered them as a player: In the group stage of the 1999/2000 Champions League campaign he played for Lazio against Leverkusen. Both games ended all square at 1-1 with Simeone coming off the bench in both matches.
Da Costa’s baptism of fire in the snow
Tonight's meeting of Bayer 04 and Atlético is the fifth competitive match on the European stage between the two clubs. The first two games came in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2010/11 with both ending in 1-1 draws (Eren Derdiyok scored for Bayer 04 at the Estadio Vicente Calderón and Patrick Helmes netted at the BayArena). Two years ago, the Werkself won 1-0 at the BayArena thanks to a goal from Hakan Calhanoglu. The return game saw Atlético win 1-0 through a Mario Suarez strike and the Spanish side won the tie 3-2 on penalties. Three of the current Bayer 04 squad played against Atlético in 2010: Stefan Kießling, Lars Bender and Danny da Costa with the then 17-year-old celebrating his baptism of fire in European football in heavy snow at the BayArena in December
Bayer 04 looking for another first
Roger Schmidt's team are unbeaten in the last ten home games in UEFA competitions, picking up five wins and five draws along the way. The last defeat was a 1-0 reverse against AS Monaco in November 2014. And, with the Werkself coming through the group stage unbeaten for the first time in eleven Champions League campaigns, they are looking to achieve another first of winning a Round of 16 tie. When Bayer 04 reached the final in 2002 there was a second group stage leading straight to the quarter-finals.
Brandt’s record, Chicha’s winner
Julian Brandt scored his first goal in his 19th game in the Champions League in the 3-0 win against AS Monaco in the last game of the group stage – making him the youngest goalscorer for the Werkself in Europe's premier club competition. Brandt scored at the age of 20 years and 219 days. Chicharito also has very positive experiences in the Champions League against Atlético. He played for Real Madrid when they knocked the Colchoneros out at the quarter-final stage in 2014/15: After a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Estadio Vicente Calderón he decided the fate of Atlético in the return match at the Bernabeu scoring the only goal of the game on 88 minutes.
Atlético’s good record
The Rojiblancos are in the Champions League quarter-finals for the ninth time. Last season, the Spaniards beat PSV Eindhoven 8-7 on penalties after two goalless matches in the Round of 16. That was the first time in the history of the UEFA Champions League that a tie in the knockout stages has ended 0-0 in both legs. Atlético have won out every time in the last seven two-legged encounters with German teams. In 20 away games in the Champions League since September 2013 Atlético have clocked up nine wins and five draws. The 18 matches to date in Germany have brought five wins, three draws and ten defeats for the Colchoneros. Koke, Filipe Luis and the currently injured players Diego Godin and Tiago were part of the team that last won in Germany in 2011/12 with a 2-1 victory over Hannover 96 in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
#nextLEVel
Ahead of the home game against Atlético, Bayer 04 have made it possible for all fans to tweet their support using the hashtag #nextLEVel via StadiumVision to the BayArena.
Bayer 04 are away to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb on Matchday 5 of the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off on Thursday 26 November at 18:45 CET at the Maksimir Stadium. All the information on ticket sales.
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It wasn’t just on the pitch that there was cause for celebration around the Werkself’s 2–1 home win against SC Freiburg. Plenty of happy faces could be seen near the dugouts at half-time too. Once again, CEO Fernando Carro, alongside former striker and club ambassador Stefan Kießling, paid tribute to eight supporters’ clubs celebrating up to their 30th anniversary on behalf of Bayer 04.
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He’s done it: Patrik Schick also found the back of the net in Bayer 04’s 2–1 win over SC Freiburg on Matchday six of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season – a club record! In what was a high-quality match from the word go, the Werkself were briefly rattled by the visitors’ opener from Derry Scherhant in the 14th minute but fought back with an equaliser from Ibrahim Maza just six minutes later. In the second half, the Black and Reds took control on their home turf and secured a well-earned win through record-holder Schick. In doing do, the Werkself inflicted the first defeat of the season on the club from the Black Forest.
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It was a match that will live long in the memory of everyone involved: The Bayer 04 U19s celebrated their seventh win in seven matches in the DFB Youth League preliminary round – and yet it was a very special victory indeed: in the 4–3 (1–1) win at VfL Bochum 1848, no fewer than five goals came in the final quarter of an hour. As the 90th minute approached, coach Patrick Greveraars’s side found themselves behind, but then fought back in true ‘Laterkusen’ style.
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Under Carles Martínez, the Werkself have so far proved unbeatable at the BayArena. The Spaniard has led his team to victory in all three of their most recent home matches – and, it's worth noting, without conceding a single goal. On Sunday, 18 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST / live on DAZN and Werkself Radio), current league leaders SC Freiburg will make the trip to Leverkusen, but will be without their top scorer. What's more, the Werkself have won all three of their previous home matches against the Black Forest club. With a goal, Patrik Schick could not only secure a fourth consecutive victory but also set a memorable record. Meanwhile, on what will be the ‘Health Day' at the BayArena, much of the focus will be on physical wellbeing. Today's matchday news.
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