It is not only the final match of the year but also the last match in this competition for one of the two clubs: When Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer 04 meet in the DFB Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday (kick-off 18.30 CET) one thing is certain. There will only be one winner! Borussia have the better record in the German domestic cup competition up to now: In the previous five Cup ties with the Werkself, Gladbach have progressed to the next round four times – twice on penalties and once after extra time. It is to be expected the two teams will be on equal terms going into this tie. The 5-1 win for Leverkusen two months ago at Borussia Park may not be a blueprint for Wednesday’s encounter although the heavy defeat on the their own turf is a subject for discussion. “All of our players remember it. We all want to win now to restore our honour,” said Thorgan Hazard, the in-form striker for the Foals.
Heiko Herrlich is also fully aware that Gladbach have a score to settle with their rivals down the Rhine. “There won’t be anybody at Borussia who would say we don’t stand a chance after the 5-1. Gladbach will definitely think they’re in with a chance. And you have to say we were lucky in the first half of the league game in October that we weren’t 2-0 or more down at the break. We were on fire in the second half but weren’t good in the first,” said the Bayer 04 head coach at the pre-match press conference at the Media Centre in the Bay Arena, broadcast live as usual on bayer04.de and Facebook. The Werkself coach maintained that match did show his team “that it is possible to overcome the hurdle at Borussia Park and win there. It’s an all-or-nothing match and you can’t share points in the Cup. You go through or go out and that’s what makes this competition so exciting.”
There will definitely be changes in the Werkself line-up. Skipper Lars Bender is almost certainly ruled out of the game at Mönchengladbach but there is a possibility that his brother Sven will be able to play. “It’s not looking good for Lars as his knee is too swollen and it wouldn’t make sense,” said Herrlich, “with Sven, we’ll have to see if he can stand the pain after he took another blow to the ribs at Hannover. One thing is clear: The health of the players comes first so we won’t take any risks.”
After a three-match ban in the Bundesliga, left back Wendell is back in the squad and Charles Aránguiz is an option after recovering from a torn calf. “Charly trained yesterday and I assume his calf will stand up to it. I hope he can be in our squad on Wednesday,” said the Bayer 04 boss.
Bayer 04 will have the support of 2,730 fans at Borussia Park on Wednesday night.
This Wednesday afternoon, the German Football Association (DFB) announced the exact kick-off times for Matchday 6 in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. According to the fixture list, the Bayer 04 Women’s home match against Werder Bremen will be played on Friday, 2 October, at 18:30 CEST.
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Just in time for the start of the school year, everyone was hard at work again at NaturGut Ophoven. For the 21st time, Bayer 04 have supported the annual ‘BioBrotbox’ campaign, which puts together a healthy breakfast for first-year primary school pupils in Leverkusen – and not only contributed 1,904 muesli bars but also plenty of enthusiasm too: Together with the U19 players Burak Kir and Clinton Wilson, Emily Wallrabenstein and Paulina Platner from the Women’s Bundesliga team helped with the packing. The latter was clearly delighted “that Bayer 04 are helping out with regional projects like this and showing their commitment to the local community”.
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A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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Loud cheers rang out five times at the BayArena on Saturday afternoon. Four of them were occasioned by the Bayer 04 fans celebrating the goals – some of which were beautifully worked – scored by a dominant Werkself, whilst the fifth eruption of black-and-red jubilation was prompted by the return of fans' favourite Moussa Diaby. “You can really feel the impact he had here,” said a delighted Managing Director Sports Simon Rolfes about the comeback afterwards. On the pitch, following the commanding 4–0 win over 1. FC Union Berlin, players, coaches and the media were in agreement: that was “the right response” (kicker magazine). The Werkself review of the first Bundesliga home game of the 2026/27 season.
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