Including qualification rounds, the Werkself have advanced the last 13 times when they've won the first leg by a margin of two goals or more. However, West Ham have won their last 11 European games on home soil - seven of them by a two-goal difference, which they'll need again tonight to knock out Bayer 04. The Hammers will certainly draw confidence from the fact they've won three of their last four home encounters with teams from Germany, while the Werkself have only triumphed on one of their last 10 visits to England.
Last year's UEFA Europa Conference League winners must do without a couple of key players tonight, though. Attacker Lucas Paquetá and full-back Emerson are both suspended after being booked in the first leg. It remains to be seen whether top scorer Jarrod Bowen will be fit - the forward missed the first leg due to a back problem.
Last weekend could have hardly turned out more different for both clubs. While the Werkself clinched the first Bundesliga title in the club's history with a 5-0 victory over SV Werder Bremen, West Ham suffered a blow in the Premier League. For the first time in 23 years, the Hammers lost a London derby at home to Fulham, losing 2-0 to the side in 12th place. At full time, manager David Moyes summarised: "I'm really disappointed." The 60-year-old Scot then quickly turned his attention towards today's second leg: "We will get ready for the game on Thursday night now, and hopefully we can respond in the right way.." Goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski, who faced 33 shots on his goal against Leverkusen last week, said after the game against Fulham: "We have a really good record at home in European competitions, so let's see what happens." There's more on the Hammers in our opposition profile.
Spanish referee José María Sánchez has been appointed by UEFA for the clash at the London Stadium. The 40-year-old will be assisted by compatriots Raúl Cabañero and Iñigo Prieto, with Carlos del Cerro Grande as the VAR.
Ibrahim Maza joined Bayer 04 from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2025. The youngster from Berlin developed into a difference-maker in his first season with the Werkself. Find out what makes the highly talented player tick in this very personal interview. Among other things, Maza talks about his Algerian-Vietnamese-German home, the role of his family and the importance of Islam for him both in his private life and in football...
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Bayer 04’s Ibrahim Maza is among the three nominees for the Bundesliga’s 2025/26 Rookie of the Season award. Fans have until 23:59 CEST on Thursday, 7 May to cast their votes in the official Bundesliga app.
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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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The Bayer 04 Women have kept their chance of qualifying for the Champions League alive in the Bundesliga run-in. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team won 4-0 at SGS Essen on Sunday afternoon, improving their record from last season to 14 wins this term. With 43 points, the Werkself equalled another record from the 2024/25 season and at the same time reduced the gap to third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt to two points, at least for tonight. Loreen Bender (4’), Kristin Kögel (41’, 68’) and Cornelia Kramer (89’) scored for the Black and Reds, who dominated the game to record their fourth win on the bounce.
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