…the importance of the final to Bayer 04: We've worked hard over the whole season to compete in three competitions and to finally get through to a cup final again after many years. The Bundesliga season has just finished. It was a good campaign in the league for us with a high number of points and a lot of good performances – but it wasn't very good otherwise we would have finished third or fourth. Now we are looking forwards and are happy to be in the running for a title. At the end of the season, we have two big highlights ahead of us with the cup final and the Europa League – normally only FC Bayern in Germany know that feeling.
…the cup final opponents from Munich: Under Hansi Flick, Bayern don't let you play your own game with their quick and aggressive pressing in most matches. So you know more or less what to expect. But it's not always possible to prevent that at this world-class level. We definitely need to take the chances we create. The fact is: When you play against Bayern – whether it's in the Bundesliga or in the cup final – every player from number one to eleven, plus the substitutes, has to produce a top performance.
…chances of winning the cup: Bayern are the clear favourites and they fully deserved to win their eighth league title in succession. Over the same period, they have "only" won the cup four times. That shows a lot is possible in one game. Of course, everything has to work against this team and everyone has to push themselves beyond their limits – but it is possible to beat them.
…the delegation from Bayer 04: The numbers are significantly down this year due to coronavirus. Normally, nearly all full-time staff would be in Berlin but now it's mainly the shareholders committee led by Werner Wenning. It was also important to us and FC Bayern that players who appear from time to time but are not in the squad for Saturday are allowed to sit in the stands.
…the crowded fixture list during the coronavirus pandemic: The situation is very stressful for everybody involved. But this is an unusual time due to the pandemic that you have to accept and deal with.
…the absence of spectators at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin: Basically, we are all happy to be able to play again and stage the cup final. Of course, our fans won’t be there. After the many years, the final at the Olympic Stadium would have been an absolute highlight. Unfortunately we can't all experience it. But we have thought up some great ideas for the fans about how they can best support the team on Saturday. And hopefully in the end go on to win the second cup title in the history of Bayer 04.
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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The ‘year after’ the most successful year in the club's history brought many changes at Bayer 04. In an exclusive double interview with bayer04.de shortly before the Christmas break, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes spoke about building a new team capable of winning trophies, the work of coach Kasper Hjulmand, the young new signings who have quickly developed into key players, and their personal plans for the Christmas holidays. Their outlook for the coming year also shows that the potential is far from exhausted and ambitions remain high.
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Last-minute ecstasy, huge disappointment and a historic performance on the European stage - 2025 was a real emotional roller coaster, especially for the U19s. A rousing run in the knockout phase secured the team a place in the final of the German championships, where they lost by the narrowest of margins. Despite the departure of several key players, the young Werkself team quickly regained their usual strength and qualified for the knockout rounds in the UEFA Youth League for the first time at the end of the year. In 2025, youngsters Jeremiah Mensah and Montrell Culbreath made their debuts in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. The other youth teams also contributed great performances and a number of trophies to the collective Black and Red success, while the successful Bayer 04 Future Kids project broke new ground. Read on for the 2025 review of the youth teams.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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A memorable 12 months: 2025 was a year marked by success, intense competition and groundbreaking innovations for the #B04eSports team. After ending the 2024/25 season as runners-up, the Leverkusen-based console pros got down to business in a new, completely restructured season model, in which showdowns rather than divisions were the decisive factor on the road to the final round of the German Club Championship. Bayer 04 quickly earned a place in the history books of the most prestigious competition in German eSports and secured some valuable advantages for the coming year. Bayer04.de takes a look back at 12 months full of passion and the determination to take the next step.
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