The Bayer 04 players and staff headed off from the BayArena on Sunday afternoon in the direction of Düsseldorf to take up residence at the team hotel. For head coach Peter Bosz and defender Sven Bender there was the pre-match press conference and then the obligatory final training session for the Werkself. We've put together a gallery from the session at the home ground of Fortuna Düsseldorf:
The clash between the North Italians and the Rhinelanders will be refereed by the Spaniard Carlos del Cerro Grande. The 44-year-old has refereed five Champions League games this season and the Europa League game between Ludogorets and Inter (0-2). His assistants in Düsseldorf are fellow countrymen Juan Carlos Yuste Jiminez and Roberto Alonso Fernandez. The fourth official is Jesus Gil Manzano, and the video assistant referee is Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez.
Inter's head coach Antonio Conte talked about the quality of the Werkself team at the pre-match press conference on Sunday night. "Bayer 04 Leverkusen have a lot of talented and quick players who can be very dangerous in counter-attacks," said the 51-year-old. "When we attack, we’ll have to be wary of the pace of the Leverkusen players. We have to be in a position to play our game and make the most of our qualities to cause problems for the opposition."
As in the Round of 16 second leg against Rangers (1-0), Bayer 04 will also be broadcasting the matchday show ahead of the game against Inter. Our presenter Mara will be helping you get in the mood on the club's YouTube channel from 20.30 CEST (click HERE for the show!) and that will include talking to the former Werkself and Inter Milan player Giulio Donati. The 30 year-old has been at US Lecce since the winter and he was in the South Italian team for the 1-1 draw with the runners-up from the fashion capital. Bayer 04 legend Rüdiger Vollborn will also be on the show. As usual, the Werkself Radio will take over just before kick-off. Tune in!
The knockout clash as part of the Europa League finals tournament is the third competitive game between the Nerazzurri and the Black and Reds. There were two matches in the group stage of the Champions League season of 2002/03, which saw the Italians win both games. The first leg in Milan ended in a 3-2 defeat for the Werkself (Bayer 04 goalscorers: Boris Zivkovic and Franca), the second leg in Leverkusen ended with a 2-0 win for the Italians. Bayer 04 will be looking to improve the stats in Düsseldorf and progress to the Europa League semifinals...
Nerd knowledge: The Werkself played three knockout matches at the Arena built in 2004 – and ran out winners on all three occasions. That was in the DFB Cup in 2008/09: against Energie Cottbus, Bayern Munich and Mainz 05.
Leon Bailey and Panos Retsos were a year older on Sunday. Our number three joined Leverkusen in the summer of 2017 but was on loan for the last six months at the Premier League club Sheffield United. The 22-year-old Greek cannot play in the Europa League as the competition is part of the 2019/20 season. Bailey, at Leverkusen since January 2017, celebrated his 23rd birthday at the team hotel in Düsseldorf in the evening after having completed the final pre-match training session with his Werkself teammates. Bayer 04 wish the duo: Many happy returns!
A disciplined defensive performance in the second leg saw Bayer 04 prevail against Olympiacos in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. Thanks to the 2-0 away win in the first leg, the goalless draw at home at the BayArena was enough to ensure progress to the next round. The Black and Reds kept their opponents away from their goal for the best part of 90 minutes.
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Bayer 04 can go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the ninth time tonight, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET) and be in the top 16 clubs in Europe. A good omen: Leverkusen have progressed to the next round after winning the first leg in 20 of their 22 knockout rounds in European competitions to date. For their part, Greek record champions Olympiacos rested several players for last weekend’s league fixture ahead of the play-off second leg at the BayArena and will now do everything in their power to turn the tide with their usual aggressive and high pressing. The discussions on Werkself radio are likely to be just as intense as the battle on the pitch, with commentator Florian Bechholz welcoming honorary captain Stefan Kießling and goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Today’s matchday news.
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With the advantage of the 2-0 first-leg win in the play-offs, the Werkself are looking to book their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League at the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the home game against Olympiacos on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand and goalkeeper Janis Blaswich spoke about the position ahead of the match, the visitors' strength at set-pieces and a personnel issue for the home side.
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With a win in the Greek Super League last weekend, Olympiacos achieved success on the pitch ahead of the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg at Bayer 04 on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET). Coach José Luis Mendilibar rested many of his regular starters.
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