Qarabag secured a runaway 7-1 victory against FC Kapaz Gäncä in the Premyer Liqasi on matchday 12. In the home game against the bottom-of-the-table outfit, the Algerian Yassine Benzia was the man of the match with a hat-trick. The other goals were scored by Leandro Andrade (2), Juninho and Nariman Akhundzade. "It was an important win that did us good," said Gurban Gurbanov after the game. The coach had to manage without several injured players including the former Bayer 04 keeper Andrey Lunev. The 31-year-old will probably return in goal on Thursday for the game against the Werkself. The Azerbaijani team will also miss right-back Matheus Silva, who played in Leverkusen, due to injury.
Despite the convincing win, the Gurbanov team are second in their domestic league, one point behind leaders FK Zira. Following the 5-1 defeat at Bayer 04, Qarabag lost the next league match 2-1 away to FC Araz Naxçıvan. It was the third defeat of the season for the current champions.
The team from the capital Baku won 1-0 in the first two group matches in the UEFA Europa League against Molde and Häcken. In the following 5-1 defeat in Leverkusen, Qarabag quickly levelled the opening goal scored by Florian Wirtz on four minutes. However, the Werkself went on to control the game after the penalty scored by Toral Bayramov(16'). Alejandro Grimaldo and Victor Boniface scored to give the Black and Reds a 3-1 lead at half-time. And the visitors got off lightly given the many clear-cut chances for the Werkself. Shortly after the restart, Grimaldo with his second goal and Edmond Tapsoba sealed the victory at the BayArena.
The second game against the Werkself will also be a very difficult task for his team according to Gurban Gurbanov. "But we definitely want to produce a better performance in Baku and we did in Leverkusen." Bayer 04 will have to be prepared for a special atmosphere at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium. The fans of the 'Riders' are passionate and 26,500 spectators really got behind their team with gusto in the 1-0 win against Molde.
The situation for Qarabag in Group H remains good. They are in second place on six points and, even with a defeat against the Werkself, everything would be in their own hands in the last two games against Molde and Häcken to at least finish second in the group. The Azerbaijani side have not lost at home in the last 13 European games. The tally is seven wins and six draws. That is the longest such run to date. On the other hand, Qarabag have yet to beat a German team. Six out of seven games have ended in defeat and last season they drew 1-1 with SC Freiburg in the Europa League.
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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