The pitch at the BayArena, recently in receipt of an award from the German Football League (DFL), should be in perfect condition for the start of the Bundesliga campaign on 24-26 August particularly given the additional wear and tear associated with the group stage of the Europa League kicking off in ten weeks time on 20 September. The pitch is currently recovering after last Friday's Germany v Saudi Arabia friendly.
Work on the playing surface will soon start: Following a close cut on Tuesday, the pitch will be scarified on Wednesday with a large number of big, deep holes created on the surface. "The turf becomes compacted over time through heavy use and intense care and cutting programmes. This process makes the soil more permeable and the grass receives more air leading to improved growth," explained the Bayer 04 head groundsman Georg Schmitz. In the coming weeks, Georg and his ten-man team will be hard at work on the pitch: reseeding, mowing, fertilising and observing on a daily basis. The aim is clear: The BayArena pitch has to meet the high demands of Bayer 04 and , literally, be the basis for a successful new campaign at Leverkusen.
The neighbouring Ulrich Haberland Stadium has looked like a building site since Monday. A new, fibre-reinforced grass pitch is due to be laid in the next few weeks.
Bayer 04 have fond memories of their encounters with Heidenheim, including a resounding 6-0 win in the reverse fixture. Kasper Hjulmand’s side would very much like to produce a similarly clinical display as they now head to the Voith-Arena for Matchday 27 on Saturday (15:30 CET). But they come up against a team fighting for their Bundesliga lives at the bottom of the table, 10 points adrift of safety with time running out. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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The Bayer 04 Women welcome FC Carl Zeiss Jena to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday night in a white retro look - and in a unique Bayer 04 ‘50 Years of Fan Clubs’ special edition jersey. In sporting terms, head coach Roberto Pätzold's team will face the Bundesliga's bottom team at 18:30 CET looking to keep their chances of third place in the table alive with six games left to play.
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Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action this weekend. Following their elimination in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, the Werkself are away to FC Heidenheim 1846 on Saturday, 21 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET) on Bundesliga matchday 27. Ahead of the clash in the eastern Swabian Alps, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the fixture and the chances of qualifying for the Champions League next term.
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A quick look at the table shows the situation at FC Heidenheim is serious. The Bundesliga bottom club are already ten points behind the play-off spot with their backs to the wall in sporting terms. With eight games left to play, avoiding relegation appears to be a mission impossible. Nevertheless, they are far from flying the white flag at the Schlossberg ahead of the clash with the Werkself this Saturday, 21 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without the two strikers in the immediate future. Caroline Kehrer suffered a torn ligament in her right knee and Amy Wrigge tore her cruciate ligament.
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