The match referee is Frank Willenborg from Osnabrück. The secondary school teacher will be assisted on the sidelines by Sven Jablonski and Christoph Bornhorst. Florian Heft is the fourth official.
Last meeting
The Werkself and FCI have met twice in the top flight. Bayer 04 came out on top in both games: There was a 1-0 away win and a 3-2 victory in the return match at the BayArena in the second half of the season.
Good record against teams in the drop zone
The Werkself have not lost any of the past 15 home games against a team in the bottom two - eleven wins and four draws is the record to date. And Bayer 04 have not conceded in the previous four of those games.
Sunday success
Bayer 04 have won the last four Sunday fixtures in the Bundesliga without conceding. The last time the Werkself let in a goal on a Sunday was in a 3-1 defeat at Mainz in February 2016. Stefan Kießling loves playing on a Sunday: At Schalke he scored goal number 32 in Sunday game in the Bundesliga taking him past Ailton (31) to be the record goalscorer in the Bundesliga on that day of the week. The club legend is a doubt ahead of this weekend’s game due to a muscle problem.
Friends reunited
Goalkeeper Rambo Özcan and right back Danny da Costa were promoted to the Bundesliga last season with FC Ingolstadt and they moved on to the Werkself in the summer of 2016 after securing top-flight status fir FCI. Sunday will be the first time the duo have been reunited with their former team-mates.
Christmas stalls
The Bayer 04 Christmas Market at the BayArena is open again for this fixture with three stalls in areas F1, B1 and B4. Warming hot drinks and savoury treats are on offer.
#W11Fantalk with Kevin Kampl
Kevin Kampl will answer supporters’ questions just after the game on Sunday at about 20.00 CET at the #W11Fantalk in the Schwadbud. You can put your questions now via Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #W11Fantalk.
Fan club celebration
They are pioneers for all Bayer 04 fan clubs: During the half-time break on Sunday, CEO Michael Schade and sporting director Rudi Völler will mark the 40th anniversary of the First Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen – as well as the 20 years since the founding of the Djangos fan club.
After Jens Nowotny was officially named a Bayer 04 honorary captain last weekend, the long-standing Werkself player is part of the Leverkusen delegation on the trophy tour to New York City next week from 11 to 14 September. In an interview with bayer04.de, the 50-year-old talked about his expectations ahead of the trip to the metropolis on the East Coast of the USA.
Show moreThe German Football League (DFL) has confirmed the dates and kick-off times for matchdays 6 to 12 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Full details of the Bayer 04 fixtures.
Show moreMarkus Rehm, a long jumper at TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, won the gold medal for the fourth time in succession at the Paralympics on Wednesday.
Show moreThe fixture details for the second round of the DFB Pokal 2024/25 have been confirmed. The home tie for Bayer 04 against second division SV 07 Elversberg is on Tuesday, 29 October with the kick off at 18.00 CET (live on Sky). That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday.
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