The matches against Borussia Mönchengladbach came first early on Tuesday evening. "We set ourselves the target of overtaking a direct rival in Gladbach at the end of the first half of the season," said Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr before the encounter. And the 18-year-old achieved the target together with his teammates: Thanks to the 5-2 overall win against the Foals eSports players, the Black and Reds went ahead of Mönchengladbach in the table at the end of the first of the season.
‘MARC_LDW23’ secured a 1-1 draw on PlayStation 5 at the start of the evening, Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ de Cae on Xbox Series S/X drew 2-2. As ‘MARC_LDW23’ and Paul ‘B04_PAUL’ Degner were able to come out with a 2-0 victory in the 2vs2 match, the #B04eSports players were able to go ahead of their Rhineland rivals in the VBL table.
The success on matchday 12 was incredibly important in two respects as the top six finish in the first half of the season puts the Black and Reds through to the main round of the DFB eCup.
Leverkusen went into the opening fixture of the second half of the season in confident mood – for them games against Holstein Kiel. In the 1vs1 match on PS 5, ‘MARC_LDW23’ picked up the first three points for the Werkself with a 2-1 win but ‘B04_DUBZJE’ was on the wrong end of a 4-2 scoreline on Xbox. The overall result was a 4-4 draw as the final 2vs2 game ended all square at 2-2.
After 13 of 24 matchdays, the #B04eSports team are currently sixth in the North West Division, which would qualify them for the VBL play-offs at the end of the season. There is just a one-point gap to fourth place.
There are no games next week with the next VBL CC matches being played on 25 January against ninth-placed Schalke (18.00 CET) and VfL Bochum, who are currently eighth in the table (20.00 CET).
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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