2023–24 Bayer 04 Leverkusen season
2023–24 season | ||||
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Administration | Fernando Carro (CEO) Simon Rolfes (Managing Director Sports) | |||
Head coach | Xabi Alonso | |||
Stadium | BayArena | |||
Bundesliga | 1st | |||
DFB-Pokal | Winners | |||
UEFA Europa League | Runners-up | |||
Top goalscorer | League: Victor Boniface (14) All: Victor Boniface (21) | |||
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The 2023–24 season was Bayer 04 Leverkusen's 120th season in existence and 45th consecutive season in the Bundesliga. They also competed in the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Europa League.
Following a 5–0 victory over Werder Bremen on 14 April 2024, Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title for the first time in club history.[1] It also marked the club's first major trophy since 1993.[2] In addition, they became the first team in history to win the Bundesliga without losing a single match, finishing the competition with 28 wins and 6 draws.[3][4]
On 9 May 2024, following a 2–2 draw against Roma in the Europa League semi-final second leg, the club set a new European record for consecutive competitive matches without a loss (49), breaking Benfica's record of 48 games unbeaten set between 1963 and 1965.[5][6][7][8] In the pursuit of achieving this record, the club succeeded in netting 17 goals during stoppage time and 34 goals from the 80th minute onwards,[9][10] encompassing crucial last-minute match winners or equalizers.[11] However, Leverkusen's unbeaten run would end at 51 matches, following a 3–0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final on 22 May.[12]
On 25 May, Leverkusen won the DFB-Pokal final against Kaiserslautern and completed an undefeated domestic double, finishing their campaign with just one defeat in 53 competitive matches.[13][14]
Players[edit]
First-team squad[edit]
- As of 31 January 2024[15]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Players out on loan[edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Transfers[edit]
In[edit]
Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DF | Álex Grimaldo | Benfica | Free | 1 July 2023 | [16] |
DF | Arthur | América Mineiro | €7,000,000 | [17] | |
MF | Jonas Hofmann | Borussia Mönchengladbach | €10,000,000 | 5 July 2023 | [18] |
MF | Granit Xhaka | Arsenal | €25,000,000 | 6 July 2023 | [19] |
FW | Victor Boniface | Union Saint-Gilloise | €20,000,000 | 22 July 2023 | [20] |
GK | Matěj Kovář | Manchester United | €5,000,000 | 15 August 2023 | [21] |
DF | Josip Stanišić | Bayern Munich | Loan | 20 August 2023 | [22] |
MF | Nathan Tella | Southampton | €23,300,000 | 27 August 2023 | [23] |
FW | Borja Iglesias | Real Betis | Loan | 27 January 2024 | [24] |
Out[edit]
Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MF | Ayman Azhil | Borussia Dortmund II | Free | 1 July 2023 | |
FW | Karim Bellarabi | Free agent | Free | ||
GK | Lennart Grill | Union Berlin | Undisclosed | [25] | |
GK | Andrey Lunyov | Qarabağ | Free | ||
FW | Paulinho | Atlético Mineiro | Free | [26] | |
DF | Daley Sinkgraven | Las Palmas | Free | ||
DF | Mitchel Bakker | Atalanta | €10,000,000 | 7 July 2023 | [27] |
FW | Moussa Diaby | Aston Villa | €55,000,000 | 22 July 2023 | [28] |
MF | Sadik Fofana | Fortuna Sittard | Loan | 25 July 2023 | [29] |
MF | Kerem Demirbay | Galatasaray | €3,700,000 | 3 August 2023 | [30] |
MF | Joshua Eze | Fortuna Köln | Free | 4 August 2023 | [31] |
GK | Patrick Pentz | Brøndby | Loan | 18 August 2023 | [32] |
FW | Sardar Azmoun | Roma | Loan | 26 August 2023 | [33] |
MF | Nadiem Amiri | Mainz 05 | €1,000,000 | 31 January 2024 | [34] |
Pre-season and friendlies[edit]
Win Draw Loss Fixtures
21 July 2023 Friendly | Bayer Leverkusen | 1–2 | SC Paderborn | Velbert |
17:30 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Report | Stadium: IMS Arena Attendance: 1,890 Referee: Nico Fuchs |
29 July 2023 Friendly | Real Sociedad | 1–0 | Bayer Leverkusen | San Sebastián, Spain |
18:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Report | Stadium: Reale Arena Attendance: 17,143 Referee: Igor Galech Apezteguía (Spain) |
2 August 2023 Friendly | Marseille | 1–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Marseille, France |
20:45 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Referee: Gaël Angoula (France) |
5 August 2023 Friendly | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–0 | West Ham United | Leverkusen |
13:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 25,325 Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Germany) |
7 September 2023 Friendly | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–2 | Alemannia Aachen | Leverkusen |
11:00 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 500 |
7 January 2024 Friendly | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–1 | Venezia | Leverkusen |
15:00 CET (UTC+1) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 12,796 Referee: Nico Fuchs (Germany) |
Competitions[edit]
Overall record[edit]
Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | |||||||
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Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
Bundesliga | 19 August 2023 | 18 May 2024 | Matchday 1 | Winners | 34 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 89 | 24 | +65 | 82.35 |
DFB-Pokal | 12 August 2023 | 25 May 2024 | First round | Winners | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | +19 | 100.00 |
UEFA Europa League | 21 September 2023 | 22 May 2024 | Group stage | Runners-up | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 13 | +18 | 69.23 |
Total | 53 | 43 | 9 | 1 | 144 | 42 | +102 | 81.13 |
Source: Soccerway
Bundesliga[edit]
League table[edit]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
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1 | Bayer Leverkusen (C) | 34 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 89 | 24 | +65 | 90 | Qualification for the Champions League league phase[a] |
2 | VfB Stuttgart | 34 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 78 | 39 | +39 | 73 | |
3 | Bayern Munich | 34 | 23 | 3 | 8 | 94 | 45 | +49 | 72 | |
4 | RB Leipzig | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 77 | 39 | +38 | 65 | |
5 | Borussia Dortmund | 34 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 68 | 43 | +25 | 63 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored; 6) Away goals scored; 7) Play-off.[35]
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ^ The Bundesliga gained an additional Champions League place as a result of Germany finishing as one of the two associations with the highest UEFA coefficient points in 2023–24.
Results summary[edit]
Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
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Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
34 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 89 | 24 | +65 | 90 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 11 | +36 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 13 | +29 |
Source: DFB
Results by round[edit]
Matches[edit]
The league fixtures were unveiled on 30 June 2023.[36][37]
19 August 2023 1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3–2 | RB Leipzig | Leverkusen |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 29,464 Referee: Felix Brych |
26 August 2023 2 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 0–3 | Bayer Leverkusen | Mönchengladbach |
18:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: Borussia-Park Attendance: 54,042 Referee: Christian Dingert |
2 September 2023 3 | Bayer Leverkusen | 5–1 | Darmstadt 98 | Leverkusen |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 29,653 Referee: Sven Jablonski |
15 September 2023 4 | Bayern Munich | 2–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Munich |
20:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: Allianz Arena Attendance: 75,000 Referee: Daniel Schlager |
24 September 2023 5 | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–1 | 1. FC Heidenheim | Leverkusen |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 29,557 Referee: Christian Dingert |
30 September 2023 6 | Mainz 05 | 0–3 | Bayer Leverkusen | Mainz |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report |
| Stadium: Mewa Arena Attendance: 33,305 Referee: Benjamin Brand |
8 October 2023 7 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3–0 | 1. FC Köln | Leverkusen |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Felix Zwayer |
21 October 2023 8 | VfL Wolfsburg | 1–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Wolfsburg |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: Volkswagen Arena Attendance: 28,917 Referee: Marco Fritz |
29 October 2023 9 | Bayer Leverkusen | 2–1 | SC Freiburg | Leverkusen |
17:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Daniel Siebert |
4 November 2023 10 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 2–3 | Bayer Leverkusen | Hoffenheim |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: Rhein-Neckar-Arena Attendance: 30,150 Referee: Frank Willenborg |
12 November 2023 11 | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–0 | Union Berlin | Leverkusen |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 29,387 Referee: Timo Gerach |
25 November 2023 12 | Werder Bremen | 0–3 | Bayer Leverkusen | Bremen |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) |
| Report | Stadium: Weserstadion Attendance: 42,100 Referee: Martin Petersen |
3 December 2023 13 | Bayer Leverkusen | 1–1 | Borussia Dortmund | Leverkusen |
17:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Daniel Siebert |
10 December 2023 14 | VfB Stuttgart | 1–1 | Bayer Leverkusen | Stuttgart |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: MHPArena Attendance: 54,500 Referee: Deniz Aytekin |
17 December 2023 15 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3–0 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Leverkusen |
17:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Christian Dingert |
20 December 2023 16 | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–0 | VfL Bochum | Leverkusen |
20:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Daniel Schlager |
13 January 2024 17 | FC Augsburg | 0–1 | Bayer Leverkusen | Augsburg |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: WWK Arena Attendance: 30,055 Referee: Sven Jablonski |
20 January 2024 18 | RB Leipzig | 2–3 | Bayer Leverkusen | Leipzig |
18:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 46,529 Referee: Matthias Jöllenbeck |
27 January 2024 19 | Bayer Leverkusen | 0–0 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Leverkusen |
18:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Deniz Aytekin |
3 February 2024 20 | Darmstadt 98 | 0–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Darmstadt |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) |
| Report | Stadium: Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor Attendance: 17,810 Referee: Tobias Reichel |
10 February 2024 21 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3–0 | Bayern Munich | Leverkusen |
18:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Felix Zwayer |
17 February 2024 22 | 1. FC Heidenheim | 1–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Heidenheim |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) |
| Report | Stadium: Voith-Arena Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Harm Osmers |
23 February 2024 23 | Bayer Leverkusen | 2–1 | Mainz 05 | Leverkusen |
20:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Timo Gerach |
3 March 2024 24 | 1. FC Köln | 0–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Cologne |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: RheinEnergieStadion Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Tobias Stieler |
10 March 2024 25 | Bayer Leverkusen | 2–0 | VfL Wolfsburg | Leverkusen |
19:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 29,314 Referee: Daniel Siebert |
17 March 2024 26 | SC Freiburg | 2–3 | Bayer Leverkusen | Freiburg |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: Europa-Park Stadion Attendance: 34,700 Referee: Harm Osmers |
30 March 2024 27 | Bayer Leverkusen | 2–1 | 1899 Hoffenheim | Leverkusen |
15:30 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Deniz Aytekin |
6 April 2024 28 | Union Berlin | 0–1 | Bayer Leverkusen | Berlin |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: Stadion An der Alten Försterei Attendance: 22,012 Referee: Benjamin Brand |
14 April 2024 29 | Bayer Leverkusen | 5–0 | Werder Bremen | Leverkusen |
17:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Harm Osmers |
21 April 2024 30 | Borussia Dortmund | 1–1 | Bayer Leverkusen | Dortmund |
17:30 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Report | Stadium: Signal Iduna Park Attendance: 81,365 Referee: Daniel Siebert |
27 April 2024 31 | Bayer Leverkusen | 2–2 | VfB Stuttgart | Leverkusen |
18:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Felix Zwayer |
5 May 2024 32 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 1–5 | Bayer Leverkusen | Frankfurt |
17:30 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Report | Stadium: Deutsche Bank Park Attendance: 58,000 Referee: Christian Dingert |
12 May 2024 33 | VfL Bochum | 0–5 | Bayer Leverkusen | Bochum |
19:30 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Report | Stadium: Ruhrstadion Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Benjamin Brand |
18 May 2024 34 | Bayer Leverkusen | 2–1 | FC Augsburg | Leverkusen |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Matthias Jöllenbeck |
DFB-Pokal[38][edit]
12 August 2023 First round | Teutonia Ottensen | 0–8 | Bayer Leverkusen | Hamburg |
15:30 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Report | Stadium: Millerntor-Stadion Attendance: 11,035 Referee: Tom Bauer | |
Note: The match took place at the Millerntor-Stadion instead of Teutonia Ottensen's home stadium, the Stadion Hoheluft in Ottensen. |
1 November 2023 Second round | SV Sandhausen | 2–5 | Bayer Leverkusen | Sandhausen |
18:00 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: GP Stadion am Hardtwald Attendance: 10,022 Referee: Richard Hempel |
6 December 2023 Round of 16 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3–1 | SC Paderborn | Leverkusen |
18:00 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 29,249 Referee: Tobias Stieler |
6 February 2024 Quarter-finals | Bayer Leverkusen | 3–2 | VfB Stuttgart | Leverkusen |
20:45 CET (UTC+1) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Daniel Schlager |
3 April 2024 Semi-finals | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–0 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | Leverkusen |
20:45 CEST (UTC+2) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Christian Dingert |
25 May 2024 Final | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 0–1 | Bayer Leverkusen | Berlin |
20:00 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 74,322 Referee: Bastian Dankert |
UEFA Europa League[39][edit]
Group stage[edit]
The draw for the group stage was held on 1 September 2023.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LEV | QAR | MOL | HAC | |
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1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 18 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–0 | |
2 | Qarabağ | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 10 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
3 | Molde | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 5–1 | |
4 | BK Häcken | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 17 | −14 | 0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | — |
21 September 2023 1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 4–0 | BK Häcken | Leverkusen |
18:45 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 25,402 Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania) |
5 October 2023 2 | Molde | 1–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Molde, Norway |
21:00 CEST (UTC+2) | Report | Stadium: Aker Stadion Attendance: 8,190 Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (Greece) |
26 October 2023 3 | Bayer Leverkusen | 5–1 | Qarabağ | Leverkusen |
21:00 CEST (UTC+2) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 29,039 Referee: Horațiu Feșnic (Romania) |
9 November 2023 4 | Qarabağ | 0–1 | Bayer Leverkusen | Baku, Azerbaijan |
21:45 AZT (UTC+4) |
| Report | Stadium: Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium Attendance: 30,005 Referee: Craig Pawson (England) |
30 November 2023 5 | BK Häcken | 0–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Gothenburg, Sweden |
21:0 CET (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: Ullevi Attendance: 11,234 Referee: Julian Weinberger (Austria) | ||
Note: The match was played at the Ullevi in Gothenburg, instead of BK Häcken's regular stadium, the Bravida Arena, which did not meet UEFA requirements. |
14 December 2023 6 | Bayer Leverkusen | 5–1 | Molde | Leverkusen |
18:45 CET (UTC+1) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 28,504 Referee: Robert Jones (England) |
Knockout phase[edit]
Round of 16[edit]
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 23 February 2024.
7 March 2024 First leg | Qarabağ | 2–2 | Bayer Leverkusen | Baku, Azerbaijan |
21:45 AZT (UTC+4) | Report | Stadium: Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium Attendance: 30,423 Referee: Benoît Bastien (France) |
14 March 2024 Second leg | Bayer Leverkusen | 3–2 (5–4 agg.) | Qarabağ | Leverkusen |
21:00 CET (UTC+1) | Report |
| Stadium: BayArena Attendance: 30,210 Referee: Anthony Taylor (England) |
Quarter-finals[edit]
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 15 March 2024.
11 April 2024 First leg | Bayer Leverkusen | 2–0 |
|