
For the DFB Pokal second round tie at SC Paderborn, Bayer 04 fans can not only get the stylish Talcid chameleon sleeve badge, but also free player printing when buying any jersey with the DFB Pokal badge. The offer is valid both at the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt on the south side of the BayArena and it ends on Wednesday, 29 October at 23:59 CET. Further information on the promotion can be found HERE.
Bayer 04 and SC Paderborn have met six times so far, with the Werkself never losing. The one draw was followed by five wins in a row. The last clash to date with SCP was also in the DFB Pokal: Leverkusen won 3-1 in the Round of 16 in the 2023/24 season. Patrik Schick sealed the win back then and last Sunday he made his comeback in the Bundesliga against SC Freiburg (2-0).
The Werkself have rarely had problems in the second round of the DFB Pokal: In six of the last seven games at this stage, Bayer 04 have progressed to the Round of 16. The Leverkusen side almost always score away from home in the Pokal: The last time they failed to find the back of the net in an away tie in this competition was over 18 years ago.
A dream start, including a club record of six wins in a row, has put SC Paderborn in second place in the chase for promotion after ten games. Despite a change of coach before the season, SCP are running like clockwork under new coach Ralf Kettemann, the successor to Lukas Kwasniok, who came from the Karlsruher SC U19s. SCP secured a comfortable 3-1 win away to FC Viktoria Köln in the first round of the DFB Pokal. The defence around Felix Götze is the fourth best in Bundesliga 2, while up front much is geared towards goalscorer Filip Bilbija. Although converting chances in front of goal is sometimes one of Paderborn's few weak points, the SCP attack is still the fifth best in the league thanks to seven Bilbija goals. Find out more about the opposition for the Werkself in the DFB Pokal in our lowdown on the next opponents.
1,500 Bayer 04 fans will follow the Werkself to Paderborn and provide vocal support from the sold-out away section in the mission to reach the Round of 16. As always, key information for away fans can be found in the Fan information!
In the eight matches with Patrick Ittrich in charge of proceedings, the Werkself are unbeaten seven times and have won four of the games. Bayer 04 last won at home against Hertha Berlin in March 2023. The 46-year-old referee from Hamburg is refereeing the Leverkusen side for the first time in the Pokal with the help of assistant referees Thomas Gorniak and Jan Seidel. The match officials have to manage without the help of VAR in the second round of the DFB Pokal. However, goal-line technology will be used as usual.
The match will be shown both as an individual game and on multi-view on Sky Sport and streamed on WOW. The Werkself Radio commentators Niko Hartmann and Florian Bechholz will, of course, broadcast live from the Paderborn Home Deluxe Arena. As always, the audio broadcast begins half an hour before kick-off. In addition, the live text service will keep you up to date so you don't miss any of the action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text updates can be found 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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