Captain Lars Bender and Stefan Kießling dropped in for 45 minutes to join the fans in getting in the mood for the cup semi-final against Bayern Munich. In addition, the two key players and fan favourites took part in a Q&A session in a relaxed atmosphere. The areas covered included the season to date and the forthcoming challenges in the Bundesliga and DFB Cup.
Even though some Black and Red supporters dared to dream of going to Berlin: Lars and Kies remained level-headed. "We'll do well to take it step-by-step. Bayern will present a really tough challenge that we want to overcome. It will be difficult but we'll give all we've got," promised the skipper. And Kies added: "We're really looking forward to a great night in the cup on Tuesday and we're relying on your full support. We want to work together to win it for us all."
Related News
DFB-Pokal - 22.08.2026
Matchday news: Season kicks off in DFB Pokal
Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
Women - 21.08.2026
Women: Carolin Simon appointed as new captain
Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
Show more
Werkself-TV - 21.08.2026
Martínez ahead of DFB Pokal tie : ‘What we all love most about football’ – Tapsoba named captain
Bayer 04 start the 2026/27 season away to third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Ahead of the DFB Pokal tie on Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The topics: anticipation, passion, the fans’ support – and the captaincy for the new season.
Show more
Women - 21.08.2026
‘Competition is fierce’: Women kick off Bundesliga campaign in Leipzig
After 62 days of preparation, the time has finally come: the Werkself kick off the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season on Sunday (16:00 CEST) with an away match at RB Leipzig. Following a major shake-up over the summer, with eleven players leaving and twelve new signings, initial impressions from the past few weeks have given manager Roberto Pätzold great cause for optimism.
Show more
DFB-Pokal - 20.08.2026
Our next opponents: Turn the ultimate challenge into an opportunity
SV Wehen Wiesbaden undoubtedly envisaged a different start to the new season. After two matchdays, the Hessen side currently sit bottom of the Liga 3 table. On Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), SVWW host the Werkself in the first round of the DFB Pokal at their home ground, the BRITA Arena. It was there, in this very competition a year ago, that the club almost pulled off a massive upset. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
