This is the fifteenth time the Bundesliga newcomers have played at Leverkusen and the first Düsseldorf visit in six years. There is certainly a derby atmosphere in and around Leverkusen this weekend. Here are 04 facts on #B04F95:
With nearest rivals TSG Hoffenheim (3-0 against Hannover 96) and VfL Wolfsburg (3-0 against Mainz) picking up points on Saturday, it is down to Bayer 04 to hit back – ideally with the 04th Bundesliga win on the bounce. That would not only see the Werkself move back up to sixth place in the table but also bring parity with Bayern Munich in terms of points after the winter break. Ahead of this matchday, the Black and Reds had a better goal difference (11-3) than Bayern (11-6). Fortuna Düsseldorf are just two points behind having collected 13 out of a possible 18 points in the last six games – only the Werkself and Bayern Munich (both 15) bettered that return over the same period. The team coached by Friedhelm Funkel certainly caused a stir in December with a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund. So this battle of the neighbours promises to be a thrilling and quality encounter…
The Werkself can not only register victory 04 in succession on Sunday night but also the fourth win in succession against Fortuna. It would be the eleventh win in the 30th Bundesliga fixture against the club based some 40 kilometres away in Düsseldorf. But beware: Over 40 per cent of those matches (12 games) have ended in draws. And the Werkself have often made hard work of it against Fortuna at the BayArena in the past. That is demonstrated by the previous six draws (and one win) Düsseldorf have earned away at Werkself. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect another hard-fought battle. On the other hand: Düsseldorf have only ran out winners once in the past eleven meetings with the Werkself. And the Black and Reds are unbeaten this term in games against teams from the bottom half of the table (4 wins, 3 draws). And it is fitting that Fortuna are one of those sides in the lower half of the table.
The wins against Wolfsburg, Bayern and Mainz clearly show the Werkself are increasingly au fait with the style of play favoiured by coach Peter Bosz. One of the most outstanding players under Bosz in those games was undoubtedly Julian Brandt with a first brace in the league registered at Mainz – and that was in his 200th game for Bayer 04. Wow! The Werkself number 10 was also involved in four goals in a Bundesliga game for the first time (2 goals, 2 assists). Before that, his previous best was two in one match. Up to the 0-0 draw in Krasnodar in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, the 22-year-old was directly involved in at last one goal for the Werkself in the last 04 fixtures; to be more exact four goals and three assists. Since the winter break, Brandt has three goals and three assists putting him ahead of , Robert Lewandowski, Ondrej Duda and Davie Selke (all 5) in the league rankings. Keep it, Jule.
The penultimate game on matchday 22 (Dortmund play FC Nürnberg on Monday) will be refereed by Markus Schmidt. It will be the first time this season the 45-year-old from Stuttgart has been in charge of a fixture involving the Werkself but it is his 16th Bayer 04 match overall. His last game does not bring back happy memories as it was a 4-0 defeat at Dortmund last season. Otherwise, the record is pretty balanced with six Bayer 04 wins, four draws and five defeats. Schmidt's assistants tonight are Christof Günsch and Markus Sinn and the fouth official is Karsten Pfeiffer with Christian Dingert and Patrick Alt acting as the VAR officials. Above all, Wendell, Karim Bellarabi and Dominik Kohr will have to be a bit careful on Sunday. All three are on four yellow cards and another booking would rule them out for next Sunday's top game against league leaders Borussia Dortmund (24 February, 18.00 CET).
Further match info:
Previous result: 2-1 (A)
Referee: Markus Schmidt (Stuttgart)
Weather forecast: 14 degrees, cloudy with sunny intervals
Expected attendance: 27,000
Live broadcast on TV: Sky
The Nerazzurri are in town: Today, Tuesday 10 December, Bayer 04 entertain the reigning champions of Italy Inter Milan on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Read on for the latest information on the home game at the BayArena.
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The Bayer 04 U19 team lost 1-0 to Inter Milan on the sixth and final matchday in the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2024/25. The only goal of the game was scored just after the hour mark. While the side from North Italy have finished top in the league phase with a maximum points return, the Leverkusen team appeared to have just missed out on the knockout stages of the European competition. There is faint hope looking to several games to follow where results are needed to go the way of the Werkself.
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Italian teams are known for being strong in defence. The fact that Inter Milan, the next opponents for the Werkself in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 20.45 CET), have not conceded a single goal in their last five matches is impressive. Will the visitors' keeper Yann Sommer be able to keep a clean sheet at the BayArena against Florian Wirtz and Co.? The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Werkself are away to Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 16. The game at the Signal Iduna Park on Friday, 10 January 2025, kicks off at 20.30 CET. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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Two champions go head-to-head: The Werkself entertain Inter Milan at the BayArena on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League. The game against the team from Lombardy is on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Head coach Xabi Alonso and defender Edmond Tapsoba revealed their keen anticipation ahead of the top match against the Italian champions at the pre-match press conference. In addition, the duo talked about the strengths of the visitors and the difference from playing teams in the Bundesliga.
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