Qarabag have made the almost 3,000-kilometre journey from Baku to Leverkusen. Due to the challenges of the journey, the Azerbaijani champions flew to Germany on Tuesday and held their final training session at the BayArena on Wednesday.
Second-half goals from Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick saw the Werkself come from 2-0 down in Baku last week. It was the first time this season that Leverkusen had trailed by two goals at half-time. Qarabag have managed to score at least two goals in each of their last five Europa League fixtures, but have also conceded in each of those. They are one of two teams alongside Sparta Prague to have both scored and let in at least 15 goals this European campaign, having netted 15 and shipped 16.
Bayer 04’s opponents were clearly full of confidence in the first leg and gained further momentum at the weekend as they extended their lead at the top of their league to 24 points with a 3-1 win at home to Zira. Coach Gurban Gurnabov changed his entire team for that game, also giving starts to Julio Romao and Elvin Jafarguliyev, who missed the first game through suspension. Both are available again in Leverkusen. There’s a doubt over the fitness of forward Juninho. The Brazilian was involved in both Qarabag goals in the reverse fixture but went off injured late on. He has travelled to Germany, though. Find out more about Qarabag in our opposition profile.
Engineering works mean that the S6 train is not running between Köln-Mülheim and Langenfeld in the nights between 13-15 March and 18-20 March. Today’s game is therefore affected, with rail-replacement buses running. Regional trains are not affected and will be running as usual.
UEFA have named Englishman Anthony Taylor as tonight’s referee. The 45-year-old has overseen two previous competitive fixtures involving the Werkself, producing one win and one loss. His assistants are compatriots Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn. Stuart Attwell is the VAR.
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
