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.
The second international break of the 2025/26 season will begin after the Bundesliga match against Union Berlin (Saturday, 4 October, 15:30 CEST). The latest information on call-ups.
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Alejo Sarco and Argentina won their second group match at the U20 World Cup in Chile on Wednesday night. They beat Australia 4-1 with Sarco setting the tone early with a goal in the third minute. As in the first group game against Cuba, where Sarco scored twice, the 19-year-old was also named "Player of the Match" against Australia.
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Second game, second draw in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26: The Werkself were held to a 1-1 draw by Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on matchday two in the league phase. After an early but brief setback in the form of an offside goal by Ivan Perisic for the visitors (5'), the Werkself took control and created numerous good chances in the first half. Leverkusen took a deserved lead after the break in the 65th minute through Christian Kofane. However, PSV's Ismael Saibari replied a few minutes later to level at 1-1 (72').
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In the second match in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26, the Werkself host PSV Eindhoven this Wednesday evening, 1 October (kick-off: 21:00 CEST/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). PSV have injury problems but are in confident mood after winning two consecutive league titles. PSV coach Peter Bosz and keeper Matej Kovar are two familiar faces who have fond memories of their Bayer 04 days. The latest information on the UCL match at the BayArena can be found in out matchday news.
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Bayer 04 beat PSV Eindhoven 3-2 on matchday two to clock up the next three points in the UCL Youth League 2025/26. In front of just under 500 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, the visitors from the Netherlands led at half-time, but the Werkself turned the game round in the second 45. That makes it two wins on the bounce after the victory in Copenhagen.
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