Fernando Carro: "It's great we will have another World Cup winner under the Bayer Cross next year. Exequiel Palacios was an important part of the team that obviously has their outstanding star in Lionel Messi. We are proud of Pala and everything he's achieved."
Simon Rolfes: "We are very happy for our Pala who will be back in Leverkusen next year as a World Cup winner. It's the biggest title you can win and Pala can be proud of that. He helped contribute in an Argentinian team that developed an incredible resilience in this tournament. And it wasn't just in the final that you could see how much this team and how much a whole country wanted to win the title. They gave their all and deservedly won the World Cup."
Rudi Völler: "Congratulations to our World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios. He was commanding and reliable in his games at the World Cup and he delivered everything Argentina expected of him. Messi provided the magic but a side needs team players like Pala to be successful."
After back-to-back away defeats, Bayer 04 Women now face their penultimate home fixture of 2026 as they welcome Hamburg to the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Saturday (14:00 CET) seeking three important points in the Google Pixel Bundesliga.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and what matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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After three consecutive wins in the Europa League, the Werkself suffered their first European defeat of the season against Marseille. In a first half with few chances, the Black and Reds gradually gained more and more control of the game, but were unable to convert that advantage into goals. Miguel Gutiérrez came closest to putting Leverkusen ahead with a shot that hit the crossbar. In the second half, the French side produced clinical finishing, with Amine Gouiri scoring from a counter-attack to make it 1-0 (77’). Right up to the final whistle, the Werkself threw everything forward in search of an equaliser, but were unable to find a way back into the game.
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Bayer 04 are riding a wave of success on the European stage: After three wins from their first three games and as the only team yet to concede a goal, the Werkself sit second in the table in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. With another three points in their first-ever competitive match against Olympique Marseille on Thursday night, 5 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Bayer 04 could leap to the top of the table. Meanwhile, the French side are riding the wave of a winning streak in Ligue 1, but are yet to pick up any points in the Europa League. For one Werkself player, Thursday night will mark a reunion with his former team-mates. Today’s matchday news.
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The Bundesliga has finalised the fixtures for matchdays 12 to 18 of the 2026/27 season. Here is an overview of the dates.
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