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.
For a long time, it looked like Bayer 04 would claim their first Bundesliga victory of the season, but the Werkself were frustrated after the final whistle. The 3-3 draw away at Werder Bremen left the players with long faces and disappointed reactions. The Werkself review
Show more
Bayer 04 are still without a win in the Bundesliga after two games following a 3-3 draw away at Werder Bremen. Leverkusen had gone 2-0 up through Patrik Schick and Malik Tillman, before Romano Schmid’s penalty prior to half-time. Schick’s own spot-kick restored the two-goal advantage in the second half as Werder were reduced to 10 men, but Isaac Schmidt got the hosts back into it again before Karim Coulibaly’s added-time equaliser.
Show more
UEFA have confirmed the fixture list for the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League.
Show more
Bayer 04 make their second attempt at picking up their first three points of this Bundesliga season as they visit Werder Bremen on Saturday. The hosts may be struggling with injuries and reeling from back-to-back defeats to kick off the campaign, but they’ll want to put that right in their first home outing. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the match, which kicks off at 3.30pm CEST.
Show more
