The Werkself have played 04 home games in Europe this season, winning all of them and scoring at least three goals in the process (17 in total). Should Leverkusen repeat the feat against West Ham, they would equal the competition record which saw Chelsea win five straight home games by scoring at least three goals in the 2018/19 campaign.
However, it’s not just at the BayArena where Bayer 04 have impressed in Europe this season. Their eight fixtures in the competition for 2023/24 have brought seven wins and one draw, scoring 24 times. The only years in which Leverkusen have scored more continental goals were in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup (26) and in the 2001/02 Champions League runners-up campaign (29).
Our English opponents do appear to have the means to defend against this Werkself attack, having conceded the fewest goals of all teams who started the Europa League in the group stage (five). In fact, the Hammers have let in only one goal in their last five continental fixtures. They have also allowed the fewest clear-cut chances in the competition this season with nine; Bayer 04 rank second in that regard with 12.
Mark Noble, who took over as West Ham’s sporting director in January 2023, said looking ahead to facing Leverkusen: “Their unbeaten run is incredible. They also have lots of top players in their side and a fantastic coach.” But the Hammers’ record appearance holder with 414 Premier League games also added: “We’ve got no fear. We’ve gained a lot of experience in Europe in recent years. And someone has to beat them at some point, so why not us? They’ll be entertaining games, I’m sure.”
The weekend’s 2-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers was only their fourth competitive victory of this year from 17 fixtures, also losing six and drawing seven in 2024. However, things are going much better this season for the club from London’s East End than 2022/23. With six games left to go, David Moyes’ side are already eight points better off than their final total last season as they finished 14. Find out more about today’s opponents in our opposition profile.
UEFA have appointed Artur Dias of Portugal to oversee this first leg. The 44-year-old has previously overseen two Werkself fixtures, producing one win (2-0 away at Ferencvaros) and one defeat (1-0 away at Atletico Madrid). His assistants are compatriots Paulo Soares and Pedro Ribeiro. The VAR is Tiago Martins.
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 HERE.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today’s game. The German 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 updates are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
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This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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