The Werkself have met Liverpool in four competitive matches to date, all of them in the Champions League. After a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the 2001/02 quarter-final, Bayer 04 won 4-2 in the second leg to progress. That was the only previous victory over the Reds, for whom it was also their last defeat against German opponents in Europe.
Two further encounters followed in the 2004/05 campaign, with the English side winning both and also going on to win Europe's most prestigious title. Xabi Alonso was a Liverpool player at that time but missed the games against the Werkself through injury. There's an in-depth feature on Alonso's return to his former stomping ground HERE.
In the current Champions League season, the Reds sit second in the league phase table with nine points from three matches. After starting with a 3-1 victory at AC Milan, Arne Slot's side beat Bologna 2-0 at home before a 1-0 win at RB Leipzig. Liverpool have led longer in games than any other team, although Bayer 04 are one of six teams who are yet to trail in a Champions League game this term.
It's been an impressive start to life under Slot. The Dutchman, who moved from Feyenoord in the summer as Jürgen Klopp's successor, is shining on all fronts. The Merseyside club recently reached the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup and are top of the Premier League, where they boast the fewest goals conceded. The attack is firing on all cylinders too: Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 12 goals in the first 10 matches, Luis Diaz in seven. Not to mention other prominent names like Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez or Diogo Jota. The Bayer 04 defence must therefore be prepared for a busy night at Anfield. More on tonight's opponents here.
For all Werkself fans following the game in Liverpool, Bayer 04 partner weloveholidays has summarised the best travel tips for the top attractions in the big city in the English north-west. You can find the article HERE.
For those who can't be there, you can also follow the Werkself's trip in our live blog HERE.
There will be a minute's silence before kick-off in memory of the victims of the flood disaster in eastern Spain. The players of both teams and the referees will also wear black armbands. The region around the city of Valencia was hit by severe flooding last week, killing over 200 people and leaving many more still missing.
UEFA has appointed Danny Makkelie for tonight's fixture. The 41-year-old Dutchman has overseen three competitive matches involving the Werkself to date (two wins, one draw). Makkelie is assisted by compatriots Hessel Steegstra and Jan den Vries on the touchlines, and Rob Dieperink as VAR.
Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
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Two Saturdays, one Friday and one Sunday: The dates for the Bayer 04 Women's team games on matchdays 16 to 19 have been finalised. Three of the four matches scheduled by the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday will be played at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
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Bayer 04 currently have a number of promising young talents on loan to various clubs in Europe with the aim of gaining match practice and furthering their individual development. Francis Onyeka and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht, for example, play for VfL Bochum 1848, while Artem Stepanov is a striker with 1. FC Nürnberg, coached by World Cup winner Miroslav Klose. Tim Oermann is a defender in the Austrian Bundesliga at top club SK Sturm Graz and Abdoulaye Faye is playing in France for FC Lorient, promoted to Ligue 1 this season. Bayer04.de reviews the first six months for the Leverkusen players out on loan.
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