"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.
Bayer 04 host 1. FC Köln at the BayArena in the final home game of 2025 . Today’s match on Saturday, 13 December kicks off at 18:30.30 pm. The Werkself are looking for three points against 1. FC Köln, who are without a win in four games but they do have a shooting star in their ranks up front. The Bayer 04 Volunteering Award will be presented at the derby against the club from Cologne and another fan club will be honoured for many years of loyalty under the Cross. The matchday news.
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The German Football Association (DFB) has officially recognised Bayer 04 as a women’s talent support centre. As announced by the DFB, 1 FC Köln, Union Berlin, RB Leipzig and Hamburger SV are also certified as performance or talent support centres from 1 January 2026 in addition to the Werkself.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss at Werder Bremen on the 13th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 Women suffered a setback at the halfway point of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. In a battle of the chasing pack between the teams in third and fourth, coach Roberto Pätzold's side lost 1-0 at SV Werder Bremen in a physical contest. The result leaves the Werkself on 22 points after 13 matchdays and now four points behind Bremen.
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The Bayer 04 U19s will face Villarreal CF in Spain in the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League round of 16. That was the result of the draw made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday afternoon.
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