14 games, 32 points, top spot – Ferencváros are currently on track to win the Hungarian league title for a fourth time in succession. The team under head coach Peter Stöger have not lost a game in the OTP Bank Liga since matchday 10. However: The team from Budapest were only able to draw (1-1) with third-placed Puskas Akademia last Saturday following on from five successive victories in the league with clean sheets in every game. "We didn't get into the goalscoring areas. I would have liked to see more crosses into the penalty area," said Stöger, who used to coach FC Köln and Borussia Dortmund, about his team's lack of penetration.
Ferencváros have yet to pick up any points in the Europa League. With a goal difference of -8, the Hungarians are bottom of Group G. The Stöger team suffered a 2-1 defeat in the meeting at the BayArena and there were also no points against Real Betis (1-3, 0-2) and Celtic (0-2, 2-3). The game against the Werkself will therefore be the last Europa League night for the Budapest team this season as they are already out of the running for the next round.
Stöger will most probably have to manage without full-back Eldar Civic. The Bosnia-Herzegovina international suffered a serious injury against Puskas Akademia. And the 55-year-old will also be without the two midfield players Balint Vecsei and Somalia on Thursday.
There are legitimate hopes for Myrto Uzuni: The 26-year-old winger, previously sidelined for two games due to injury, made his comeback against Puskas Akademia with a 30-minute appearance from the bench. It is possible that he will be in the starting line-up against Bayer 04 – and that will give the hosts a boost in terms of threat on goal. Uzuni is the biggest threat in the Ferencváros squad having scored 20 goals and provided eight assists in 27 games.
The fact Ferencváros have only conceded 12 goals in five Europa League matches, one less than Celtic, is primarily down to the goalkeeper and captain Denes Dibusz. The 19-time Hungary international keeper is – measured on the number of saves – currently the best shot-stopper in the competition. In his four Europa League appearances, the 31-year-old has picked the ball out of the net nine times but he was also able to make a total of 20 saves.
Together with Cezary Miszta (Legia Warsaw) and Bayer 04 captain Lukas Hradecky, he has made the second highest number of saves amongst all the goalkeepers in the group stage – only Celtic's Joe Hart has made more (23). Dibusz will probably be able to extend his record against the Werkself; he is – in contrast to Hradecky, who is to be replaced by Andrey Lunev – set to be in the starting eleven.
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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