The day before the showdown in London, Roger Schmidt and his players had the chance to see the hallowed turf at close quarters in the final pre-match training session and it was in good condition.
That is not a given as the NFL footballers made a European guest appearance on Sunday night but Wembley would not be Wembley without its splendid turf. The popular legend associated with this impressive stadium also drew enthusiasm from experienced figures such as Schmidt and Chicharito. “The match is an absolute highlight,” said the head coach at the pre-match press conference: “We’ve played at the Camp Nou and the Calderon Stadium but this here is something special! But the main thing tomorrow for us is it’s a very important game.”
The situation in Group E could hardly be more exciting: Just three points separates the four teams – with each club having the chance of making the last 16 in their own hands. Proof of that balance was evident in the goalless draw at the BayArena two weeks ago. “That’s why we know how difficult it is to play against Tottenham,” said Schmidt before adding: “In the second half we showed how we could play it.”
Tah and Toprak on board
Recent injury absentees Jonathan Tah and Ömer Toprak could provide strength in defence against a positive Spurs team. Both central defenders travelled and were involved in the final pre-match training session and “we’ve got good reason to think they will be in the squad,” said Schmidt. In contrast, the captain Lars Bender is ruled out due to an injury suffered at the weekend. The hosts Tottenham also have injury problems and will probably have to make do without defensive stalwart Toby Alderweireld and star striker Harry Kane. And there is also a question mark over midfielder Erik Lamela.
Leverkusen will have the support of around 2,000 fans in London. The prospect of a large crowd at Wembley Stadium makes it worthwhile arriving early and using public transport. Werkself fans not at the game can keep up with the action in England’s capital via social networks including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. It’s worth logging on.
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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Due to the last-minute postponement of the Bundesliga match between Hamburg and the Werkself on Tuesday, 13 January, Bayer 04 will reimburse the ticket price to all 3,500 fans who had already travelled to Hamburg as a sign of appreciation. The tickets remain valid for the rescheduled match (date not yet set).
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without centre-back Edmond Tapsoba in the coming weeks. The Burkina Faso international returned to the Werkself from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with a muscle injury.
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The Bundesliga fixture between Hamburger SV and Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been postponed at short notice.
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Bayer 04 face Hamburger SV for the first time in almost eight years. Although the Hanseatic city team are often below par on the road, they are regularly in top form in front of their own fans. In particular, 18-year-old shooting star Luka Vuskovic is proving to be a real bonus for Merlin Polzin's team, both in attack and defence. However, that should not scare the Werkself: Not only was the last defeat against the newly promoted team 17 games ago, but Kasper Hjulmand's players are in with a chance of securing their fifth win in six games against HSV. Today’s matchday news.
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