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.
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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