Bayer 04 and BK Häcken meet for the first time in a European competition. The Werkself have only played a Swedish team once before on the European stage: The two matches in the first round of the UEFA Cup competition in 1986/87 produced an overall result of 7-1 against Kalmar FF. For the Swedes it is their second participation in a European competition after the UEFA Cup in 2007/08 when they were knocked out in the first round by Spartak Moscow.
The Werkself have yet to lose a home game in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League (twelve wins, three draws) and the last six home ties brought six wins and 23 goals.
Work on the track between Düsseldorf and Cologne continues.With rail cancellations at Leverkusen Mitte station there will again be challenges with travel to and from the game. The trains on the regional and long-distance routes will run again on Sunday evening (21.00 CEST) and the S-Bahn on Monday 25 September (04.30 CEST). Information on replacement buses is published and constantly updated on the Deutsche Bahn website.
The Scandinavians wrote a new chapter in the club's history last year: BK Häcken won the Swedish championship for the first time ever. Following that, the Wasps had to qualify for Europe. After Häcken just missed out in the Champions League qualifiers, the Swedes mastered the play-off route to the Europa League in style. That gave them their second participation in a European competition. The anticipation is suitably great. Information on the personnel, performers and problems at Häcken can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
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. Click HERE for the e-paper.
UEFA has appointed the Lithuanian referee Manfredas Lukjančukas for the game against Häcken. The 31-year-old match official will be assisted by his fellow countrymen Mangirdas Mirauskas and Vytenis Kazlauskas on the touchlines and the Italian Massimiliano Irrati is in action as the VAR.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The 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 update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
The Bayer 04 Women's first-team squad has taken on three homegrown players: Louisa Remien, Paula Schwartze and Amy Wrigge will be part of the Bundesliga team for the new season.
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The season card waiting list, introduced by Bayer 04 last season, is open to Bayer 04 Club members. Read on for further information.
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Olá, Brasil! The Bayer 04 flight landed safely in Rio de Janeiro early on Tuesday morning local time. From the airport it was straight to the beach in immediate proximity to the team hotel where club legend Paulo Sergio welcomed the team. The first training session is on the agenda in the afternoon. Bayer04.de will provide a close-up report on the Werkself over the next ten days with one blog per day giving insights into the events on tour. Day one of the Bayer 04 Brazil Tour (timings are in local time).
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The Werkself training camp officially began early on Tuesday morning with the landing in Rio de Janeiro. Ahead of the first session in the afternoon local time, bayer04.de profiles the talented youngsters from the youth teams who have travelled to Brazil.
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The welcome in Brazil could not have been more fitting: Paulo Sergio, with a small Bayer 04 delegation, welcomed the Werkself to Rio de Janeiro on the beach in front of the team hotel on Tuesday morning local time. Under clear blue skies, players, coaches and staff joined together for a group photo and then it was off to the rooms and breakfast. Shortly after the Werkself arrived, club legend Paulo Sergio, who will accompany the Werkself over the coming days, talked bayer04.de about these emotional moments for him.
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