The first game against Real Betis was two weeks ago. With temperatures over 30 degrees in Andalusian sunshine, the Black and Reds battled for a deserved point thanks to a late equaliser from Robert Andrich. The return match at the BayArena between the two top teams in Group G is to be played in Leverkusen with the temperature at 10 and rain is forecast. "That won't make any difference to the two teams," said Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane. Real Betis have an experienced team who can handle it.
The Swiss coach gained an impression of how his players would deal with the weather predicted for Thursday night at the final pre-match training session on Wednesday morning. Jonathan Tah and Co. completed a thorough warm-up routine in cold and wet weather with a temperature of ten degrees before moving on to various drills involving the ball. The session ended with shooting drills and practising set-pieces.
The youngsters Iker Bravo and Zidan Sertdemir were amongst the 18 outfield players who took part in the final session at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium ahead of the Europa League match. They will however not be in the matchday squad. The new signings cannot be selected via the so-called B list. This is only allowed for youth players who have been with their club for the previous two years without break. Bravo joined Bayer 04 from the Barcelona La Masia academy in the summer, Sertdemir came in from the Danish club FC Nordsjaelland.
Not only the Werkself can rely on support from their fans in the stands on Thursday night. The visitors from Spain are also bringing spectators to the BayArena – 603 in total. We wish them a warm welcome to Leverkusen.
Anthony Taylor is the referee for tomorrow's match. The 43-year-old Englishman has been in charge of games in the Premier League since 2010. On the European stage he has refereed matches involving five German clubs – but not Bayer 04. Jonathan Tah and Nadiem Amiri came across Taylor in 2015: The two Werkself first-team players were in the Germany U19 team at the European Championships and they started the game against the Netherlands that ended in a 1-0 victory under the Englishman.
Taylor’s fellow countrymen Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn are the assistant referees and Stuart Attwell is the VAR official. Have a successful match.
Back to the youngster Iker Bravo. The Spanish centre-forward won the vote for Bayer 04 Goal of the Month in October. His wonderful overhead kick in the U19 home game against Fortuna Düsseldorf (3-1) at 2-1 impressed the fans. The 16-year-old also netted the equaliser before that. Congratulations, Iker. You can enjoy the gem again HERE.
The Bayer 04 Women progressed to the DFB Cup quarter-finals last Sunday after a 7-6 win on penalties, which could not have been more exciting. A central role in the penalty shootout was played by Leverkusen's keeper Anna Klink. The 26-year-old held her nerve and was able to save two Hoffenheim penalties. Congratulations, Anna. You can watch the two saves again HERE.
Jermaine Jones is 40 years old today. The former USA international played on loan for the Werkself in 2004/05 and he made 15 appearances for the Bayer 04 second team as well as nine appearances for the senior team. Many happy returns.
The Bayer 04 family also remember Gero Bisanz. The Polish-born manager would have been 86 years old today. Bisanz worked as the Werkself coach from 1971 to 1973. He later went on to coach the Germany Women's team and with them he won the European Championships in 1989, 1991 and 1995. In 1995, he also led the team to the World Cup final where they finished runners-up.
SAB-P GmbH is to become Bayer 04 Leverkusen's first official inclusion partner. The company, which has previously been involved in the club's Business Club, is underlining its social commitment to inclusion with an agreement that runs until 31 May 2027. Among other things, it will be the shirt sponsor of the Inclusion Team from the 2026/27 season onwards.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 20 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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