
The Bayer 04 v Lotte tie is a repeat of last season's first-round meeting that the Werkself won 3-0 thanks to goals from Kießling, Calhanoglu and Bender.
In this season's first round Bayer 04 won 2-1 at fifth tier SC Hauenstein. Lotte produced a sensational upset in their opening tie against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. The team, including former Bayer 04 keeper Benedikt Fernandez, were champions of the Regional League West and thereby achieved promotion to division three. Currently they are ninth in the table with five points from four games.
The second round ties will be played on 25 and 26 October. 16 Bundesliga clubs are still in the competition with only RB Leipzig (6-5 defeat on penalties against Dynamo Dresden) and Werder Bremen (21 defeat away to Sportfreunde Lotte) going out in first round. 13 teams from the second division are in the second round plus the two third division outfits Sportfreunde Lotte and Hallescher FC, and Regional League side FC Astoria Walldorf.


Job done: the Bayer 04 eSports team defeated SV Darmstadt 98 in the play-offs to secure their consecutive participation in the VBL Club Championship final. The journey continues now for Leverkusen on Saturday 7 March (from 17:00 CET) with a last-16 encounter at Hamburger SV.
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Werkself TV shows highlights of the 0-0 draw against Olympiacos in the second leg of the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league...
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A disciplined defensive performance in the second leg saw Bayer 04 prevail against Olympiacos in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. Thanks to the 2-0 away win in the first leg, the goalless draw at home at the BayArena was enough to ensure progress to the next round. The Black and Reds kept their opponents away from their goal for the best part of 90 minutes.
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Bayer 04 can go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the ninth time tonight, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET) and be in the top 16 clubs in Europe. A good omen: Leverkusen have progressed to the next round after winning the first leg in 20 of their 22 knockout rounds in European competitions to date. For their part, Greek record champions Olympiacos rested several players for last weekend’s league fixture ahead of the play-off second leg at the BayArena and will now do everything in their power to turn the tide with their usual aggressive and high pressing. The discussions on Werkself radio are likely to be just as intense as the battle on the pitch, with commentator Florian Bechholz welcoming honorary captain Stefan Kießling and goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Today’s matchday news.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will play Offenbacher Kickers: As part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the regional football league club, the Werkself will play a friendly at the Hessen club in the summer. On Saturday, 25 July 2026 (kick-off: 15:00 CEST.), coach Kasper Hjulmand's team will face OFC at Offenbach's Bieberer Berg stadium. The supporters of both clubs have maintained a close fan friendship for many years. This makes the match in preparation for the 2026/27 season a very special one, and not just for Offenbach fans.
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