UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2020/21 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS BayArena - Leverkusen Thursday 26 November 2020 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Bayer 04 Leverkusen Group C - Matchday 4 Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC Last updated 26/02/2021 12:04CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Team facts 4 Squad list 6 Fixtures and results 8 Match-by-match lineups 11 Match officials 13 Legend 14 1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC Thursday 26 November 2020 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit BayArena, Leverkusen Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Acolatse 11, 25; Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC - Bayer 05/11/2020 GS 2-4 Petah Tikva Bailey 5, 75, Dadia 39 04 Leverkusen (og), Wirtz 88 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 2 Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 4 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Maccabi Babić 45, Juan 67; 23/10/2002 GS1 2-1 Leverkusen Haifa FC Pralija 53 Maccabi Haifa FC - Bayer 04 01/10/2002 GS1 0-2 Nicosia Babić 31, 64 Leverkusen Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC - Record versus clubs from opponents' country Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC have not played against a club from their opponents' country Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 8 3 Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 4 2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC Thursday 26 November 2020 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit BayArena, Leverkusen Match background After a pulsating comeback win in Israel on Matchday 3, 2019/20 quarter-finalists Bayer Leverkusen know that a repeat victory against Hapoel Beer-Sheva on home soil will put them in a strong position to qualify from a closely contested Group C. • Dutch striker Elton Acolatse's second double in as many Group C home fixtures put Hapoel 2-1 up in Petah Tikva last time out, but Leverkusen fought back to win 4-2, Leon Bailey also helping himself to two goals as the German club joined Slavia Praha on six points at the top of the table, three ahead of both Hapoel and Nice. Previous meetings • The Matchday 3 fixture was Hapoel's first UEFA encounter with German opposition. In Leverkusen's only previous pairing with an Israeli club they won both matches against Maccabi Tel-Aviv (2-0 a, 2-1 h) in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League first group stage. Form guide Leverkusen • Fifth place in the 2019/20 Bundesliga earned Leverkusen a return to the UEFA Europa League, where they reached the quarter-finals last season after finishing third in their UEFA Champions League group. They won both legs against Porto in the round of 32 (2-1 h, 3-1 a) and Rangers in the round of 16 (3-1 a, 1-0 h) before losing their last-eight encounter 2-1 to Internazionale in nearby Düsseldorf. They also reached the final of last season's DFB-Pokal, losing 4-2 to Bayern München. • This is the 1987/88 UEFA Cup winners' sixth appearance in the UEFA Europa League proper and fourth in the group stage. They have never failed to progress to the knockout phase, topping the group in their most recent participation two seasons ago ahead of Ludogorets, Zürich and AEK Larnaca. • The Werkself's overall home record in the UEFA Europa League, play-offs included, is W12 D5 L2, with no defeats in the last nine matches (W6 D3). Home and away, they have lost just two of their last 13 matches in the competition (W8 D3), most recently going down 1-0 at Slavia Praha on Matchday 2, although those two defeats have come in their last four games. Hapoel • Fourth in the Israeli league in 2019/20, Hapoel secured European qualification for the seventh successive season by winning the Israeli State Cup, beating Maccabi Petach-Tikva 2-0 in the final. Last season's European adventure ended in the UEFA Europa League play-offs against Feyenoord (0-3 a, 0-3 h). • This season Josef Abukasis's side won their play-off tie, 1-0 at home to Viktoria Plzeň, following earlier qualifying phase successes against Dinamo Batumi (3-0 h), Laç (2-1 a) and Motherwell (3-0 h). Hapoel are therefore competing in the UEFA Europa League group stage for the third time, having previously participated in 2016/17 – when they beat Internazionale twice and reached the round of 32 – and 2017/18 – when they finished bottom of their group. • The Israeli side's away record in the UEFA Europa League proper is W1 D2 L5. The victory at Laç this term is the only success in Hapoel's last eight European away fixtures (D3 L4), a 1-0 reverse at Nice on Matchday 2 their most recent defeat. Links and trivia • Leverkusen defender Aleksandar Dragović's next appearance in the UEFA Europa League, group stage to final, will be his 50th. The Austrian international has previously played in the competition for three other clubs – Austria Wien, Basel and Dynamo Kyiv. • Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz was in charge of Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the second half of the 2015/16 season. His two matches against Hapoel were both draws (1-1 a, 0-0 h). • Argentinians Lucas Alario (Leverkusen) and César Meli (Beer-Sheva) played against each other three times in the Buenos Aires derby for River Plate and Boca Juniors respectively. • Hapoel defender Loai Taha, who has started the club's first three group games, celebrates his 31st birthday on Matchday 4. • Leverkusen's fourth appearance in the UEFA Europa League group stage is a record for a German club. They are also now the highest-scoring Bundesliga club in the competition, on 68 goals, having overtaken Eintracht Frankfurt with their fifth goal in the 6-2 win at home to Nice on Matchday 1. • The Rhineland club are one of six former UEFA Cup winners in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage – along with PSV Eindhoven (Group E), Napoli (F), Tottenham (J), CSKA Moskva and Feyenoord (both K). 3 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC Thursday 26 November 2020 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit BayArena, Leverkusen Team facts Bayer 04 Leverkusen Formed: 1904 Nickname: Werkself (Works XI) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • UEFA Champions League: (2002) • UEFA Cup (1): 1988 Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) German Cup: 1 (1993) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League unless indicated otherwise) 2019/20: quarter-finals 2018/19: round of 32 2017/18: did not take part in UEFA competition 2016/17: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2015/16: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2014/15: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2013/14: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2012/13: round of 32 2011/12: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2010/11: round of 16 Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 6-1: Leverkusen v Dinamo Tbilisi 13/08/97, UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg 5-0 twice, most recently v Baník Ostrava 11/08/04, UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first leg • Biggest away win 1-6: Tervis Pärnu v Leverkusen 08/07/95, UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage 0-5: Zürich v Leverkusen 19/12/07, UEFA Cup group stage • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: Leverkusen v Manchester United 27/11/13, UEFA Champions League group stage • Heaviest away defeat 7-1: Barcelona v Leverkusen 07/03/12, UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League • Biggest home win 5-0: Leverkusen v Kispest Honvéd 01/11/94, second round second leg • Biggest away win 0-5: Zürich v Leverkusen (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 1-4: Leverkusen v Zenit 03/04/08, quarter-final first leg 0-3: Leverkusen v Osasuna 05/04/07, quarter-final first leg • Heaviest away defeat 3-0 on three occasions, most recently v Parma 18/04/95, semi-final second leg Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC 4 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC Thursday 26 November 2020 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit BayArena, Leverkusen Formed: 1949 Nickname: The Camels UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 5 (2018) Israeli Cup: 2 (2020) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League unless indicated otherwise) 2019/20: play-offs 2018/19: third qualifying round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League second qualifying round) 2017/18: group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League play-offs) 2016/17: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League play-offs) 2015/16: second qualifying round 2014/15: second qualifying round 2013/14: did not take part in UEFA competition 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA competition 2011/12: did not take part in UEFA competition 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 3-0 twice, most recently v Motherwell 24/09/20, UEFA Europa League third qualifying round • Biggest away win 1-4: Flora v Hapoel 10/07/18, UEFA Champions League first qualifying round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-7: Hapoel v Barcelona 12/09/95, UEFA Cup first round first leg • Heaviest away defeat 10-0: Roda v Hapoel 02/10/97, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round second leg UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League • Biggest home win 3-0 twice, most recently v Motherwell (see above) • Biggest away win 0-2: Internazionale Milano v Hapoel 15/09/16, UEFA Europa League group stage • Heaviest home defeat 0-7: Hapoel v Barcelona (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 5-0: Barcelona v Hapoel 26/09/95, first round second leg 5 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC Thursday 26 November 2020 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit BayArena, Leverkusen Squad list Bayer 04 Leverkusen Current season All-time UEL League UEL UEFA No.