Carl Zeiss Jena today play the Werkself for the third time in competitive matches. The previous two games were also in the DFB Pokal and both ended with victory for the Black and Reds. The Werkself secured a 4-0 win in the first round in the last meeting (2012). Simon Rolfes, sporting managing director at Bayer 04, gave the visitors in Jena the lead after just three minutes. 20 years earlier, the Black and Reds won 2-0 in the quarter-finals in the 1992/93 season and went on to lift the DFB Pokal. Bernd 'Schnix' Schneider, who went on to become a world-class player at Bayer 04 a few years later, was playing for Carl Zeiss Jena back then.
Carl Zeiss Jena beat Bundesliga teams in three of their first four DFB Pokal ties but Jena only went through once in nine such meetings. Bayer 04 have won all of their 14 first round Pokal ties against fourth tier teams – that is a record as no other team has won as many of those ties.
The game away to the Regional League side will not be a walkover. Carl Zeiss Jena have made a brilliant start to the season winning all five games played so far in the Regional League North East. The team led by head coach Henning Bürger, who was a player at FCC, have a new star in attack, striker Erik Weinhauer. The 23-year-old forward has scored ten goals in the past five games – and he achieved a record on matchday two: Weinhauer scored five times in the first half in 6-2 win against Hertha Zehlendorf, a feat never before achieved in the Regional League North East. Further information on Carl Zeiss Jena can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
The Werkself will wear black arm bands tonight. Bayer 04 are thereby remembering Christoph Daum. The former Werkself coach passed away last Saturday at the age of 70. Daum led the Werkself to three runners-up finishes between 1996 and 2000 as well as three Champions League campaigns.
#50JahreDeutscheKrebshilfe: Bayer 04 will wear the logo of the cancer organisation Deutsche Krebshilfe on their shirts in place of the usual sleeve sponsor. This is to mark the 50th anniversary of the foundation. The Werkself are looking to raise the profile of the long-term commitment to the foundation. The home shirt with the special sleeve logo from DKH is available today from the online shop. Further information available HERE.
Directions, catering, contacts and more: The Bayer 04 fan liaison team have put together key information on the away game in Jena to the 1600 travelling Werkself fans. Click HERE for the fan information.
The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Tobias Welz as the referee for the Pokal time in the arena. The 47-year-old match official has previously been in charge of 18 games involving the Werkself. Welz's assistant referees are Dr. Martin Thomsen and Cristian Ballweg with Alexander Sather in action as the VAR.
The match will be broadcast live on ZDF and Sky. Werkself Radio is also available for anyone unable to be at the game. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann. In addition, the live text update service will keep fans up-to-date at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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