The approach is clear as coach Peter Bosz explained to the members of the media at the pre-match press conference: "We need the points and we want to be in the competition after the winter break so we have to win," said the 55-year-old, who is well aware of the minimal chance of going through to the Champions League knockout stages, "but we will keep trying as long as the chance is there."
The Werkself have no points after three games and, with a goal difference of one for and six against, are in fourth place but they did perform well in the match in the Spanish capital. "We looked good there, worked hard and were very compact," said Bayer 04 defender Sven Bender at the press conference. "We saw that we can cause problems for Madrid with the way we play. We have the means to win a game like that against Atletico."
As in the last Bundesliga game against Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-2), coach Bosz has a full squad to choose from with the exception of the injured Daley Sinkgraven and skipper Lars Bender. Charles Aránguiz, who came on in the second half against Mönchengladbach, is fit again and is ready to play against Atletico who are currently second behind Juventus on seven points. "Everybody knows he's a good and important player for us. It will do us good to have him back," said Bosz whose anticipation ahead of the game is as great as his player Sven Bender feels.
The Werkself number five declared: "It's the Champions League. As a young boy, you dream about games like this. In these games you have to be there, give everything and try to go the extra mile. But you can enjoy it as well. If everything goes right then we have a chance of winning. And that's what we want to do!"
Anyone who wants to get into the mood before kick-off should make sure they catch the pre-match show with Stefan Kießling and Patrick Helmes. The two legendary strikers will look back at past highlights in the Champions League and share their predictions for the clash with Atletico. The show kicks off at 19.40 CET and can be seen on YouTube, Facebook and Bayer 04 TV.
Match information:
Attendance: Bayer 04 are expecting a sell-out in the home areas at the BayArena.
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
Live TV broadcaster: DAZN
Matchday hashtag: #B04Atleti
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...
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-3 loss against FC Bayern on the 14th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
Show more
