The only previous competitive encounters between Feyenoord and the Werkself came in the 1987/88 UEFA Cup as Leverkusen progressed 3-2 on aggregate in the round of 16 en route to lifting the trophy.
Tonight’s game is being played at the legendary Stadion Feijenoord, better known as De Kuip, which translates as ‘the tub’ due to the shape of its roof. It’s the second largest stadium in the Netherlands and holds the record for hosting the most European finals with 10 across the European Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Cup, European Championship, and most recently the 2023 UEFA Nations League final.
Like Bayer 04, Feyenoord have also won silverware already this season as the Eredivisie runners-up and KNVB Cup winners beat champions PSV Eindhoven on penalties to lift the Dutch Super Cup.
Feyenoord are one of Dutch football’s biggest names alongside the likes of Ajax and PSV. They won their 16th league title in 2022/23 before finishing second last term. It’s their seventh participation in the Champions League. They are yet to lose in the Eredivisie this season and are unbeaten in 24 across multiple seasons, but they have only won one of their fixtures so far this term, drawing the other three to sit sixth in the table. Find out more about Feyenoord in our in-depth analysis.
Due to the potentially heated nature of this match, Bayer 04 asks all fans to behave peacefully and responsibly in the stadium and in the Rotterdam city area. Bayer 04 would also ask all fans to behave in a level-headed manner in the run-up to the match to prevent conflict situations from arising in the first place. The following conditions are to be expected on site:
Bayer 04 will do everything in its power to make the match an atmospheric and, above all, peaceful football festival. Together with hosts Feyenoord, with whom Bayer 04 has a trusting relationship, the support of the fans is also requested.
A total of 2,500 fans are expected to make the trip from Leverkusen to Rotterdam. The Bayer 04 fan liaison team have put together key information on the game for travelling supporters. Find out more HERE.
Those fans who can’t be in Rotterdam can follow updates from the build-up to the game in our live blog HERE.
UEFA have appointed Davide Massa as tonight’s referee. The 43-year-old Italian has overseen three previous Werkself fixtures, with a win, draw and loss each. His assistants are compatriots Filippo Meli and Stefano Alassio. The VAR is Aleandro Di Paolo.
Werkself Radio is available for anyone unable to be at the game. The German audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep fans up to date on bayer04.de and the Bayer 04 app.
Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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Carles Martìnez is raring to go. The 42-year-old speaks in his first interview in Leverkusen about the club's development to date and how he wants to build on it. He describes his previous work in France, Kuwait, Qatar and his native Barcelona, his experience in developing young players, and the key steps between now and the start of pre-season training.
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New Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez has arrived in Leverkusen! At midday on Friday, the 42-year-old spoke in a press conference at the BayArena about his philosophy and his aims. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes also discussed the reasons for appointing the former Toulouse boss.
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