Bayer 04 have never previously played a team from Azerbaijan. The last time the Black and Reds faced a club on the European stage from a previously unknown country was in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2015/16 when the Werkself beat BATE Borisov 4-1 at home.
While it is the first time for Leverkusen to meet an Azerbaijani club, Qarabag have played German teams six times. The side from the Caspian Sea lost five of those six matches and the last outing was a 1-1 draw against SC Freiburg in last season's group stage.
Top of the table in the national league, no points dropped in the Europa League: The Werkself face a tough opponent. Qarabag are currently leading the Premyer Liqasi, the Azerbaijani top-flight, with 20 points from ten games. Two wins in the first group matches in the Europa League puts the current champions of Azerbaijan second in Group H behind the Werkself.
Qarabag are particularly impressive in defence: They are one of only three teams yet to concede in the current Europa League campaign and they have the second best defence in their domestic league. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Anyone wanting to read key information before the game should take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday programme, offering the most important facts and stats on the game in compact form, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively it is available free online. Click HERE for the e-paper.
UEFA has appointed the Romanian referee Horatiu Fesnic as the match official in charge of the game against Qarabag. The 34-year-old will be assisted by his fellow countrymen Valentin Avram and Alexandru Cerei on the touchlines with the Portuguese referee Tiago Martins is in action as the VAR.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 put in a brilliant performance to beat RB Leipzig 4-1 on Bundesliga matchday 32 and are now fourth in a Champions League spot. The Black and Reds took control of the game right from the start and, with 75 per cent possession at one stage, took a 2-0 lead into the break through Patrik Schick (25’) and Nathan Tella (45+1’). The visitors initially tried to do more after the break, but the Werkself remained determined and Schick scored his second goal to increase the lead to 3-0 (76'). The Red Bulls pulled a goal back through Christoph Baumgartner (80'), but the disciplined Leverkusen side were not rattled - and certainly not Schick: The Czechia international crowned a brilliant display with his third goal shortly before the final whistle to make the final score 4-1.
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In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.
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Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
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