The Werkself discovered how difficult it is to beat Eintracht Frankfurt first hand in a 2-1 defeat just after New Year. But it was well known before that that they are a hard nut to crack this season. Frankfurt have only lost two of 15 games in the Bundesliga this season – as few as the leading trio of Bayern, Leipzig and Bayer 04. Their next win came on Saturday – Eintracht beat Mainz away 2-0 with penalties from centre forward André Silva in their third league win in succession. And it was a prestigious three points: Frankfurt picked up their first win in their seventeenth away game at the neighbours from Mainz. "It does you good to end a run like that," said coach Adi Hütter after the game. "The better team won when you look at the 90 minutes."
Eintracht Frankfurt will be in confident mood ahead of the second clash with the Werkself in nine days – and they have really felt at home in the DFB Cup in recent years. Frankfurt have made the semi-finals in three of the past four seasons and in 2018 they went on to lift the trophy in the final against FC Bayern. Eintracht had a tough draw in the first round match in this season's competition. Playing against 1860 Munich, a top team in the third division, the Eagles were unable to relax at any point in the game and ended up with a narrow 2-1 win with goals from Silva and the now departed Bas Dost (Club Brugge) – and now they face the Werkself. "We've got every chance and we’ll do everything we can to go through," announced Hütter.
The Austrian coach has to manage without one of his most important players. Filip Kostic was sent off in the quarter-final victory against Werder Bremen last year just before the suspension due to coronavirus for a foul on former Leverkusen player Ömer Toprak and he was suspended for four DFB Cup ties. That means he is unable to play on Tuesday. The vacant position on the left wing will probably be taken by Steven Zuber who arrived from Hoffenheim in the summer. In contrast to the Bundesliga meeting, Sebastian Rode is able to play again. The midfielder served a one-match ban.
The fact the DFB Cup draw has thrown up Eintracht as the opponents could be a good omen from a Werkself perspective. Many supporters will be able to remember the only previous DFB Cup game between the two teams: Bayer 04 won 3-0 in Frankfurt in the semi-finals in March 1993 thanks to a brace from Andreas Thom and a goal from Ulf Kirsten. The win paved the way to Berlin – and what happened there is well known: Bayer 04 won the DFB Cup for the first and only time to date. Nobody in the Black and Red camp will have anything against history repeating itself…
The new eSports season is just around the corner. The VBL Club Championship by WOW starts on Thursday 15 October (from 18:00 CEST). And, as every year, here’s an overview: What changes are there? What is staying the same?
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Bayer 04 record-appearance maker Rüdiger Vollborn invites you to another evening in the popular ‘Rudi lädt ein’ series: on Tuesday 10 November, in collaboration with Bayer AG, the focus will be on the Nazi period. The focus will be on football, Bayer 04 and the city of Leverkusen.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has secured a new network partner in Extreme Networks GmbH. The leading provider of AI-powered network automation has agreed a five-year partnership with the Bundesliga club, running until 30 June 2031. As part of this, the club’s existing Wi-Fi 5 infrastructure will be replaced by more than 400 Wi-Fi 7 access points, which are specifically designed to meet the requirements of a stadium with a high user density. The aim is to enhance the fan experience while optimising operational processes and security.
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New signing Miguel Gutiérrez has made a good start at Leverkusen and has promptly earned a nomination for Player of the Month in his first few weeks in the Bundesliga. He has scored one goal and provided three assists in four league games. The Spanish left-back has also brought some impressive stats with him to Bayer 04. Issue #56 of the Werkself magazine has taken a look at these figures. ‘Facts & Fun’ with Miguel Gutiérrez.
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With seven points, Mainz 05 are currently joint seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Bayer 04. In today’s head-to-head clash (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself must be particularly wary of the clinical Mainz strike duo. For Leverkusen fans who have left it to the last minute, there are still a few tickets available from the matchday ticket office. Those following the Black and Reds from home, on the other hand, have a choice: RTL is broadcasting the match on free-to-air TV, and Werkself Radio is also offering the expert commentary of former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz. Today’s matchday news.
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