Unfortunately, long delays are expected travelling to and from a game by car due to various roadworks. The A1 (Dortmund in the direction of Cologne) has the right lane closed between the Leverkusen interchange and the Leverkusen West interchange with traffic restricted to one lane. The stretch between the Köttersbach bridge and the Leverkusen interchange has the left lane closed with two lanes open to traffic.
Today's game is the fourth competitive match between the two clubs and the first meeting in the UEFA Champions League since the 2002/03 season. Both teams are currently in a good position in the table: The Black and Reds are sixth on ten points and Inter Milan are second on 13 points behind leaders Liverpool. In their previous games, the Nerazzurri have clocked up the following results: 0-0 at Manchester City, 4-0 against Red Star Belgrade and 1-0 wins against Young Boys, Arsenal and RB Leipzig. Inter are the only team yet to concede and if they keep a clean sheet today then they would be the first team to achieve that feat in the first six matches in a Champions League campaign.
While the Italians, with former Leverkusen player Hakan Calhanoglu, have the best defence in the use of the season so far, the Werkself have top marks in other areas: The Leverkusen pass completion rate is 90% back of the second highest of all the 36 teams. That is only surpassed by Manchester City (92.6%). The Black and Reds have also shone in counter pressing: Leverkusen have found their own players with 84% of passes when under pressure from the opponents. Again Manchester City are the top side (87.7%) in that respect.
Inter Milan succeeded in securing victory in their last match in Serie A with a comfortable 3-1 win against newly promoted Parma at home on Friday night. The reigning Italian champions are set up for the Champions League clash with the Werkself. Inter are unbeaten in 13 games with the last defeat coming two and a half months ago. The Italian side are currently third in the table three points behind leaders Atalanta having played one game less. More on tonight's opponents can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
Following the press conference on Monday afternoon with Xabi Alonso and Edmond Tapsoba (HERE is the report), the Inter coach Simone Inzaghi and midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu spoke about today's game. Head coach Inzaghi said: "We definitely have to be at our best in the game against Leverkusen. We are playing one of the strongest teams in Europe who have only lost three games over the last 16 months. Therefore, we have prepared for a game against a very strong team."
Calhanoglu, who played for Bayer 04 from 2014 to 2017, said: "It's my first time in Leverkusen in seven years. I'm looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces. We are facing a great team but we have to focus on ourselves. We want to build on our previous good performances."
Anyone wanting to discover the latest information ahead of the game can take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday magazine, that includes key facts and stats on the match, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively it is available free online. HERE is the e-paper.
UEFA has appointed Slavko Vincić as the referee for today's game. It is the third match for the 45-year-old Slovenian involving the Werkself (one win, one draw). The assistant referees are fellow countrymen Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic with Alen Borosak in action as the VAR.
The match will be broadcast live on DAZN. As ever, supporters unable to be at the match can follow the game on Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep fans up-to-date. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
The VBL Club Championship by WOW 2025/26 continues today, Tuesday 18 November, with the last two of the six online preliminary round matches in the second showdown. Starting at 18:00 CET, Bayer 04 face Karlsruher SC, followed by Borussia Mönchengladbach at 19:00 CET. The games will be streamed live on the Bayer 04 app and on the club Twitch channel. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Just 11 days after their last encounter in the Bundesliga, Bayer 04 Women meet Hamburger SV again. On Sunday (15:00 CET), the two teams will be battling it out at the Volksparkstadion for a place in the DFB Cup quarter-finals. Coach Roberto Pätzold is aware of his team's status as favourites against the promoted outfit - and knows what it will come down to against the awkward opponents.
Show more
Bayer 04 Women goalkeeper Charlotte Voll has been hit by injury again. The 26-year-old suffered an acromioclavicular joint separation in her left shoulder in the latter stages of the Bundesliga match at SC Freiburg on Monday and is set to be sidelined for a number of months. She underwent successful surgery in Düsseldorf on Friday.
Show more
Like they did in the first showdown of the VBL Club Championship by WOW, which the Leverkusen gamers won in spectacular style, Marc and Sean Landwehr also started the second showdown with six points by beating TSG Hoffenheim and VfL Bochum 1848, last-16 participants of the first showdown. The #B04eSports team suffered defeat to SV Darmstadt 98 and Hertha BSC. Meanwhile, Keanu Senkbeil made his VBL CC debut in the clash with the capital club.
Show more
The Bayer 04 Women will end 2025 with the Bundesliga top match against Bayern Munich on Monday night, 22 December. The schedule for matchdays 12 to 15 has been announced by the German Football Association (DFB). In addition to two away games on Fridays, Leverkusen also have a home game on a Saturday lunchtime.
Show more
