Matchday news #B04OLY: Focused on the second leg - Kießling and Flekken on Werkself Radio

Tour Pass followed by 'SoD Unplugged Ticket'

True to the motto ‘Sound of Dreams - #aCROSS Europe 2025/26", the Werkself are also turning the UCL into a festival in the UEFA Champions League play-offs - and Bayer 04 fans can still be there live! After the successful league phase with the ‘Tour pass and subsequent prize draw stylish festival tickets for the two matches against Olympiacos are the next nice souvenirs waiting at the Fanwelt in the south stand at the BayArena.

Club members can secure these exclusively up to 28 February, take part in a competition using the QR code printed on them and, with a bit of luck, soon call a record cover signed by a Werkself professional in the ‘Sound of Dreams’ look their own. Further information can be found HERE.

#B04OLY: match facts

With a brace in under 144 seconds, Patrik Schick put the Werkself into a good position for the second leg at the BayArena. Incidentally, the Czechia international is only the second Bayer 04 player to score twice in a knockout match in the UCL. Before him, only Michael Ballack achieved that in April 2002 against Liverpool (4-2) - in the season that led to the final against Real Madrid.

The 2-0 win in Greece means the Black and Reds have levelled the overall record against Olympiacos: Leverkusen also won the second of the previous four games 2-0 in October 2002. Another win in front of their home crowd on Tuesday night will see the Werkself reach the last 16 of the Champions League for the ninth time in their history - and coach Kasper Hjulmand could further improve his excellent UCL record: With a win rate of 44 per cent, the Dane is the most successful Bayer 04 coach in this competition with more than three games played. One key to his success: his team's completed passes rate. With 88.3 per cent, the Werkself rank second (behind Paris Saint-Germain and ahead of Real Madrid, among others) of all play-off participants in this stat. Olympiacos, with 77.1 per cent, bring up the rear - of all this year's UCL clubs.

focus on the greek champions

"After losing to a strong team, qualifying for the Round of 16 will of course be difficult," said Olympiacos coach José Luis Mendilibar, assessing his team's chances of progressing. However, the Greeks secured a 2-0 victory against Panetolikos in their last league fixture to not only celebrate their first three points after three games without a win, but also rest their key players. Despite their lead from the first leg, the Werkself are taking the game very seriously and have been warned: Olympiacos have only won one of their eleven away games against German teams in European competitions. However, the team with former Bayer 04 player Panagiotis Retsos have been victorious on the road in recent away games against Kairat Almaty (1-0) and Ajax (2-1) - the lowdown on our next opponents.

away coach Mendilibar: "a new game"

After Kasper Hjulmand and Janis Blaswich for the Werkself (HERE is the press conference report), Olympiacos coach José Luis Mendilibar and full-back Rodinei also took their seats on the podium in the BayArena press conference room on Monday night. Spanish coach Mendilibar, who has been at Olympiakos since February 2024, explained looking back at the 2-0 defeat in the first leg: "It's a new game, we're no longer dwelling on that defeat. We have to be brave so that we can attack and play our own game. That's the only way we can influence the game ourselves and get a win."

Brazilian defensive stalwart Rodinei, signed from CR Flamengo in January 2023, said "we will do all we can to draw strength from the support of our travelling fans and go through to the next round. We don't feel any pressure at all. We're playing on the Champions League stage, that was always a big dream of mine as a child. Maybe it will be the last time. So we have to enjoy this moment."

Werkself Live

Do you want to go into the play-off second leg against Olympiacos in a comfortable position like Bayer 04? Then take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday flyer, which provides key facts and figures on the game in compact form, is available throughout the BayArena. Alternatively, the matchday magazine is also available online. This time on the XXL poster: Ibrahim Maza. HERE is the ePaper.

Englisch-italian match officials

The experienced Michael Oliver has already refereed five matches involving Bayer 04. Three victories - including against Atlético Madrid - were recently followed by two defeats, most recently a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 in the 2024/25 Champions League campaign. On Tuesday night, the Englishman will be supported on the touchline by his compatriots Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring. Italian Marco Di Bello will act as the video assistant referee.

Kießling and Flekken on WErkself Radio

This play-off second leg will be broadcast live on Prime Video in Germany. As usual, commentator Florian Bechholz will be bringing you the UCL flair live on Werkself Radio, this time with two VIP guests: In the first half, honorary captain Stefan Kießling will be a co-commentator, while goalkeeper Mark Flekken will accompany Bechholz in the second 45. The audio broadcast (in German) begins half an hour before kick-off. The live text update service will also keep you up to date so that you don't miss anything in the match. You can find both Werkself Radio and the live text updates at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.