"Ready for the next strike" – the Werkself are looking to take another big step in the direction of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League with a win against Be’er Sheva. The BayArena Aktuell matchday magazine provides facts on #B04HBS, introduces the Israeli team and draws an interesting comparison between Julian Baumgartlinger and Be'er Sheva's Mariano Bareiro. The magazine is available (in German) HERE.
As with the visitors from Israel, the UEFA referee Pawel Gil will again be on the pitch with the Black and Reds for a second time on Thursday night. The 44-year-old Pole refereed the Europa League home game against FC Zurich in November 2018, which Bayer 04 won 1-0 thanks to a headed goal from Tin Jedvaj.
The Hapoel team arrived at the BayArena on Wednesday night after a long journey from Israel. Head coach Yossi Abukasis and defender Sean Goldberg made their way straight to the pre-match press conference in the media centre at the stadium. Ahead of the return match, Goldberg talked about a "tough challenge that we have to deal with as a team."
Head coach Abukasis confirmed in answer to a journalist why the key player Josué did not travel to Leverkusen. There was an altercation between the Portuguese and one of his teammates in training. "I decided not to take him with us and I received the full backing of the club," said the 50-year-old.
While the visitors from Be'er Sheva were able to hold their final pre-match training session at the BayArena following the press conference, the roof of the Werkself stadium was lit up in orange. Bayer 04 were thereby showing the club's commitment to the 'Orange your City' campaign making a clear stand against sexual violence. The Water Tower, the Leverkusen Clinic and other buildings in the city will also lit up in this colour on the 'International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women'.
The world of football was shaken by this news on Wednesday: Diego Maradona, one of the best players of all time, has passed away at the age of 60. "His death has hit me hard. He was born the same year as me and we were often opponents at World Cups and in Italy. A wonderful player. His premature death is a bitter blow for football and for Diego's family," said Rudi Völler. The Bayer 04 sporting managing director faced Maradona at the 1990 World Cup final when Germany beat Argentina 1-0.
There will be a minute's silence in honour of Maradona at the Europa League match between Bayer 04 and Be’er Sheva.
The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
Show more
A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
Show more
For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
Show more
The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
