This time the draw was made by the former Leverkusen women's player Turid Knaak, who played for Bayer 04 from 2011 to 2017. She stood in for Felix Neureuther due to illness. The former Germany international and current goalkeeping coach of the national team, Andreas Köpke, was in charge of the draw.
Rudi Völler: "We are happy to have another home game. VfB Stuttgart not only feels like a first division team of course but they are also an opponent to take seriously and we will need to be on top of our game. But we want to go far in this competition and we are very, very optimistic that we can go through against VfB." The record against VfB in the DFB Cup provides reason to be optimistic. Bayer 04 have always beaten Stuttgart in the cup. And the Werkself progressed to the semi-final stage in 1991/92 and 2002/03.
Sporting director Simon Rolfes was also excited: “A great draw for us. VfB will bring lots of fans and it will be a great cup battle with a guaranteed fantastic atmosphere. Our clear aim is to win this duel and go through to the quarter-finals."
Ticket information will be announced shortly.
Eintracht Frankfurt v RB Leipzig
Bayer 04 v VfB Stuttgart
FC Bayern Munich v TSG Hoffenheim
Schalke 04 v Hertha Berlin
FC Saarbrücken v Karlsruher SC
Werder Bremen v Borussia Dortmund
FC Kaiserslautern v Fortuna Düsseldorf
SC Verl v FC Union Berlin
A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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