The Round of 16 – That was the target for Bayer 04 at the start of the campaign and it could be achieved with a game to play. That will happen if the Werkself win at CSKA Moscow and Tottenham fail to pick up more than one point in the other group match at AS Monaco (20.45 CET). A draw would see head coach Roger Schmidt and his team go through to the knock-out rounds if Tottenham lose in Monaco. The simplest formula for this conundrum: One point more than Tottenham will do. The Werkself will only find out after landing at Cologne/Bonn Airport as the plane with the Bayer 04 squad on board will be on the way home when the match in Monaco finishes.
CSKA have to win
Of course, the initial focus is on the Bayer 04 display at the impressive CSKA Arena. And the match promises much in terms of excitement as the the Russian champions from the capital are fighting for survival in the Champions League and that means they definitely need to win. Otherwise, the team coached by Leonard Sluzki, with just two points from four games, will be out of the competition
Incredible record
There is the chance of setting one dismal record right. CSKA have not kept a clean sheet in an unbelievable 26 games in the Champions League and that is the longest such run since the competition was founded. The keeper and club stalwart Igor Akinfeev has not kept a clean sheet in 37 matches. Since 2006 he has conceded at least one goal in every match in Europe’s elite club competition.
Extend the club record
Bayer 04 have also set a record recently but a positive one. The Werkself have not lost any of their last six Champions League games – the longest run in eleven seasons in the competition for Leverkusen. Bayer 04 are also unbeaten after the opening four group matches for the first time and they are with a good chance of being in the competition in the new year.
Live info on the LIVE App
Anybody wanting to follow the game on the move due to the unusually early kick-off can download the Bayer 04 Live App. Ahead of the game, the latest information on the two teams such as the line-ups and formation is available as is the live ticker with all the key match information during the match – live from the CSKA Arena.
Download at: bit.ly/b04live
All the news from Moscow
Using the hashtag #CSKAB04 fans can follow all the information and stories on the Werkself trip to Moscow on the social media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. It’s worth logging on before kick-off.
Group E table
1. AS Monaco (8 pts)
2. Bayer 04 (6 pts)
3. Tottenham (4 pts)
4.CSKA Moscow (2 pts)
Info for our supporters in Moscow: Bayer 04 have arranged for coaches to take Werkself fans from the CSKA Arena to the city centre after the game to enable them to continue their homeward journey from there safely. There will be a tour guide on every coach to provide travel information for onward journeys.
To all Bayer 04 fans: The Fanwelt will be closed all day next Monday 30 June. This is due to preparations for the change of kit supplier from Castore to New Balance on Tuesday 1 July.
Show moreThe Norway U23 international Julie Jorde has completed the move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Brøndby IF. The twelve-time champions of Denmark have signed the midfielder on permanent terms after her loan move from the Bundesliga to Denmark in the winter.
Show moreIt is almost two years since Bayer 04 new signing Abdoulaye Faye first stepped foot into the BayArena as a player for the Swedish club BK Häcken in the opening match in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign. A day before his nineteenth birthday, the central defender did not play in the 4-0 win for the Werkself but it was "an incredible night" for him on 21 September 2023 as he explained in his first interview on bayer04.de. "I watched the players and saw the fans. I liked it." It was also the first European night early on in his career. He only joined the then champions of Sweden in the cold north of Europe from his home in Senegal a few weeks before that special moment. Bayer04.de profiles our new defender.
Show moreWelcome, Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old Senegalese central defender joins Leverkusen from top-flight Swedish club BK Häcken. In his first interview he talks about his move to Bayer 04 and his targets with the Werkself.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen have signed the Senegalese central defender Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old joins the Bundesliga side from Swedish top-flight club BK Häcken. Faye has penned a contract at Leverkusen to 30 June 2030.
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