That keeper is Bernd Leno. Born in Baden-Württemberg, Leno played for the Black and Reds from 2011 to 2018 making 304 appearances and he kept 100 clean sheets. The shot-stopper also holds a record: In 2014/15, Leno went 527 minutes without conceding a goal to beat the previous club record held by Rüdiger Vollborn (485 minutes). After leaving in the summer of 2018, Leno now plays for Arsenal in the Premier League.
But back to Leverkusen: Benjamin Cortus is the referee for tonight’s DFB Cup tie against Union Berlin. The 38-year-old IT specialist is supported by assistant referees Florian Heft and Christian Leicher, and the video assistant is Tobias Reichel. Bayer 04 have never lost a game when Cortus has been in charge: Two wins – one in the DFB Cup – plus one draw is the record to date. All three matches were in 2016/17.
Today’s game is the seventeenth time the Werkself have been in the DFB quarter-finals since 1967. The Black and Reds have gone through to the semi-finals eight times and been in the final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin three times; the Werkself lifted the DFB Cup in 1992/93. The last semi-final appearance was not too long ago: Bayer 04 lost to Bayern Munich in 2017/18.
Stefan Kießling, former Werkself player and advisor to the Bayer 04 board, talked in an interview with dfb.de about his career, the 2009 DFB Cup final and today’s game against Union Berlin. In terms of Union, the 36-year-old said: “They defend well and are well-organised. It’s incredibly hard playing against them.” Kies highlighted the striker Sebastian Andersson: He likes the way “he holds onto the ball and distributes it.”
The groups for the second Nations League were drawn last night. Germany with Kai Havertz, Jonathan Tah, Nadiem Amiri and Co. are in Group A4 with Switzerland, Ukraine and three-time European champions Spain. The Werkself Austria players Julian Baumgartlinger and Aleksandar Dragovic are in Group B1 along with Norway, Northern Ireland and Romania. Lukas Hradecky and his Finland team-mates are in Group B4 with Wales, Ireland and Bulgaria.
The group stage will be played on three double matchdays between September and November after the Euros in the summer. The finals tournament will involve the four group winners in Division A and will be held from 2 to 6 June 2021.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-3 loss against Werder Bremen on the 26th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 Women have finished in fifth place after the best Bundesliga season in the club's history in terms of points. Roberto Pätzold's side went down 3-1 at home to SV Werder Bremen on the final matchday. With 46 points and 15 wins, they've bettered the previous record campaign of 2024/25. Despite periods of pressure, Cornelia Kramer's 73rd-minute strike was not enough at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, and the Werkself miss out on European qualification despite a strong end to the season.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a conract extension with home-grown talent Sofie Zdebel by a further year ahead of schedule. The 21-year-old Germany U23 international will stay at the club until 30 June 2028.
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After the final whistle in the home match against Hamburger SV, it showed once again that the Bayer 04 community sticks together. The team thanked the fans for their great support in a season with highs and lows and a sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga. The Black and Reds will compete in the UEFA Europa League next season. The last Werkself review in 2025/26 has all the analysis.
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Bayer 04 could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Hamburg in the final game of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season as they finish in sixth place and qualify for the UEFA Europa League. Patrik Schick missed a first-half penalty before Fabio Vieira put the visitors ahead on the hour. Jarell Quansah’s deflected header in the 79th minute earned a point to finish the campaign.
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