Beware! There is currently one notable statistic in the league that makes people sit up but also may serve as a warning: The team placed second in the Bundesliga have not won for ten matchdays. Hopefully that will change this weekend. Bayer 04 are in the runners-up spot for the first time since September 2014.
If Bayer 04 beat Mainz on Sunday then the Werkself will have equalled a new club record. In the last 24 Bundesliga fixtures, Leverkusen have scored at least one goal in every game and that equals the previous best in the 1999/2000 league campaign.
Games involving Bayer 04 have a high entertainment value: The matches involving Heiko Herrlich's team have produced the most goals this season: There is an average of 3.5 goals per game (39 goals scored and 27 conceded). Leon Bailey has had the most efforts on opposition goals: The Jamaican has had 42 shots and scored seven goals.
There could be two landmarks for the Werkself in the match against Mainz: Kevin Volland, the top Bayer 04 scorer with ten goals, is on the verge of his 50th Bundesliga goal (16 for Bayer 04, 33 for Hoffenheim), The skipper Lars Bender is on the verge of 100 victories in Germany's top flight.
The match against Mainz 05 offers plenty of chances for reunions. Julian Baumgartlinger played for Mainz between 2011 and 2016 (124 Bundesliga appearances, two goals) and he was even captain at FSV in 2015/16. In the 4-1 win at Hoffenheim, he scored his first competitive goal for Bayer 04. On the Mainz side, René Adler, the currently injured goalkeeper, has an extensive Leverkusen past: The shot-stopper played for the Werkself from 2000 to 2012 and went on to play for Germany during that period. Right back Giulio Donati (43 Bundesliga games from 2013-16) and Levin Öztunali (15 Bundesliga games from 2013-14) also played for the Black and Reds.
It is now a tradition after Bundesliga home games for the Werkself for well-known visitors to call into the Schwadbud after the final whistle to discuss the action on the pitch with stadium announcer Tobias Ufer, fan liaison officers Rüdiger Vollborn and Frank Linde plus a supporter. This time, Lars Bender is the guest at #W11Fantalk. If you have any questions for the Werkself captain, who has just extended his contract to 2021, please send them in via Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #W11Fantalk. It kicks off between 18.00 and 18..15 CET.
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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