The group stage of the Europa League is over. Bayer 04 and the other seven top teams are through to the Round of 16 and thereby avoid the Round of 32. The first leg of the Round of 16 will be played on Thursday, 10 March 2022. The second leg matches will be played a week later.
The second group stage will be played – without Bayer 04. The second-placed teams in the Europa League will face the third-placed teams in the Champions League groups on 17 and 24 February. The winners of those matches go through to the Round of 16 where they will play the eight group winners from the Europa League (including the Werkself).
The draw for the Europa League Round of 16, set to be held on 25 February, excludes two clubs from the same country playing each other. Accordingly, there are the following 14 possible opponents for the Werkself in the Round of 16:
Second-placed teams from the Europa League: Rangers, Real Sociedad, Napoli, Olympiakos, Lazio, Sporting Braga, Real Betis, Dinamo Zagreb.
Third-placed teams from the Champions League: FC Porto, FC Sheriff, Barcelona, Atalanta, FC Sevilla, Zenit St. Petersburg (not possible: Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig).
Europa League dates and fixtures:
Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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