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.
From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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The draw for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 was made today, Friday 27 February: Bayer 04 face Premier League leaders Arsenal. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes sees the English team as a "top opponent" and is looking forward to meeting former Werkself players Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie again.
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After three consecutive victories, FSV Mainz 05 recently suffered setbacks against Borussia Dortmund (0-4) and Hamburger SV (1-1) in the battle to stay up. Nevertheless, the Mainz 05 performance curve has shown a clear upward trend in recent weeks. Their coach and a former Leverkusen player in particular have played a decisive role in this. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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