To date, it has been almost a perfect October for Atlético Madrid in La Liga. The Colchoneros have picked up 13 out of a possible 15 points this month. Last Saturday they beat Real Betis 2-1. The match ahead of the game against Bayer 04 ended in victory. This hard-fought win took Atléti up to third in the table and they are now the main challengers to the two big teams Real Madrid and Barcelona. "We kept calm at the end to secure three very important points," said Simeone commenting on the result.
The win at cup winners Real Betis is even more impressive as the club from Andalusia had previously won all of their last five home fixtures. Antoine Griezmann was the man of the match in Seville. The Frenchman, signed by Atletico from Barcelona, scored both of the goals for the visitors. And in a quite impressive manner. Griezmann opened the scoring from a corner (54’) and then nutmegged the Betis keeper Rui Silva with his weaker right foot (77'). Those were goals number four and five this season for the World Cup winner who has also provided three assists.
Griezmann has netted 147 goals in 308 games for Atletico – making him the third highest goalscorer in the club's history. Above all, coach Simeone is happy the 31-year-old has returned to top form in recent weeks. At the start of the season, he was only allowed to play 30 minutes per match due to his contractual position. Since no longer being on loan, with a contract to 2026 with Atlético, the Frenchman has flourished. "I'm happy to be there where I want to be," Griezmann shared on Twitter.
Fellow striker Alvaro Morata has also scored five goals in the league. And the Argentinian Angel Correa has found the back of the net three times. Joao Felix in contrast, the fourth star in the Colchoneros attack, has yet to score. At the same time, the Portuguese striker is rarely in Simeone it's starting eleven at the moment. The 22-year-old came off the bench on 76 minutes in Seville after not playing in the previous 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano.
As well as Atlético are performing in La Liga, the recent results in the Champions League have been disappointing for the team from the capital. The 2-0 defeat at Bayer 04 was followed by a similar scoreline against Group B leaders Club Brugge. And the second meeting with the Flemish team ended in a goalless draw. Simeone's team dominated the match and at times produced some exciting attacking football but they let too many chances go begging. Brugge keeper Simon Mignolet was on sparkling form on the night as well.
The Rojiblancos are currently third in the group with four points and that's one point and one position ahead of the Werkself. The clash between the Red and Whites and the Black and Reds could be decisive in terms of playing in Europe after the group stage. If Atlético win they will have a good chance of reaching the Round of 16. Bayer 04 would then be out of Europe this term.
Simeone will have to manage without his injured captain Koke for the game against the Black and Reds. Marcos Llorente and Thomas Lemar are also ruled out through injury.
Plenty going on both on and off the pitch: The Bayer 04 fan support team has organised a number of highlights for fans visiting the Werkself 2026/27 summer training camp in Blankenhain, in the Weimarer Land region. Registration for the events is now open. All the details at a glance.
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The Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team and s2-Software are continuing their long-term partnership: The Werkself and the provider of pre-owned Microsoft licences have extended their contract by two years to 2028. This means s2-Software will remain the Bayer 04 sleeve sponsor for all matches in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga.
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BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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100 children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy had the chance to gain exclusive insights: As part of the summer camp, the young footballers headed inside the BayArena at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, where they were due to meet Werkself keepers Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch in the press conference room. The two players took plenty of time to answer every question from the inquisitive audience – whether it was about their own careers or their first impressions of the new head coach. Finally, there was even time left to sign autographs for the young fans.
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Following the cancellation of Bayer 04’s scheduled friendly against Carl Zeiss Jena on 1 August, the Werkself have now found a new opponent for the same day and will host Rot-Weiss Essen of the 3. Liga at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. Kick-off is at 11:00 CEST and tickets are available now.
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