The first leg in Switzerland will be played on Thursday 18 February. The second leg at the BayArena is a week later on Thursday 25 February. UEFA will confirm the kick-off times of 18.55 CET or 21.00 CET shortly.
Sporting director Simon Rolfes: “This draw is very interesting. Switzerland against Germany - that always has its appeal. The Young Boys Bern are not to be underestimated. They’re showing their class as the leaders in the Swiss league. We’re looking forward to the games. Our clear target is to go through to the Round of 16.”
Bayer 04 finished top of Group C with 15 points; the narrow 1-0 defeat with ten men at Slavia Prague is the only reverse for the Werkself this term. The team under head coach Peter Bosz also set a new German record with 21 goals scored in the group stage of the Europa League.
Round of 32 draw in full:
Wolfsberger AC (Austria) v Tottenham Hotspur (England)
Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) v Club Brugge (Belgium)
Real Sociedad (Spain) v Manchester United (England)
Benfica (Portugal) v Arsenal (England)
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) v AC Milan (Italy)
Royal Antwerp (Belgium) v Rangers (Scotland)
Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) v Leicester City (England)
FC Salzburg (Austria) v Villarreal (Spain)
SC Braga (Portugal) v AS Roma (Italy)
Young Boys Bern (Switzerland) v Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany)
FK Krasnodar (Russia) v Dinamo Zagreb (Serbia)
Molde FK (Norway) v TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Germany)
FC Granada (Spain) v Napoli (Italy)
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) v Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
OSC Lille (France) v Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Olympiakos (Greece) v PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
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The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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The Bundesliga is back. On Saturday 29 August (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to SV 07 Elversberg on matchday 1 of the new season. Ahead of the clash at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the importance of a successful start and the motivation of the league newcomers from the Saarland.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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