Lukas Hradecky on…
…his summer holiday after the Nations League matches with Finland: I stayed in Finland after the internationals, was then in Slovakia and France because Joel (teammate and fellow countrymen Pohjanpalo, ed.) got married there. I followed Finnish football a bit during the holiday and watched a couple of my brother’s games. It did me good physically and mentally to switch off a bit. I would have been happy to spend another week away but I'm also happy to be back.
…his first session at the BayArena: I completed my first performance tests yesterday and also spoke to the coach. But I know for myself: I always need seven to ten days before I get really fit again. Next week's training camp is coming at just the right time.
…the training camp in Salzburger Land: I'm looking forward to it. The location is great and the training pitches are good too. And, of course, we're playing against two good opponents in Panathinaikos and Udinese. They will be exciting matches.
…the current Werkself squad: The coach is very happy with the current situation and the physical condition of the players. One or two are still missing but everybody is fit so far – and I'm very happy about that too. There were still a few question marks at this time in the last preseason. There are a few less today. But that's also good. We can see what's on the fixture list and we need every individual player. Therefore, it is important that everybody completes the whole preseason.
…big moments of the coming season: I'm obviously very much looking forward to the Champions League. The last Champions League season wasn’t satisfactory to me. This season I want to be a safe pair of hands in that competition. I'm not a fan of training so I'm looking forward to the many busy weeks on the pitch.
…targets for the forthcoming season: I think we performed particularly well in the last Rückrunde and that showed us we can compete with the big teams. We want to compete for the top positions again in the new season.
…the support of Bayer 04 fans: After the coronavirus break, we saw how our fans were happy to finally be back in the stadium. And even if there are one or two defeats they support us before and after the game as much as they can. We have to remain united to master the challenges. We get on with each other really well and I obviously hope we can play in front of a full house in the coming season.
…his personal contract situation: There's nothing new at the moment. Simon Rolfes and I had our first good discussions in Mexico but nothing more during my holiday. We'll sit down again in peace and quiet and then see what happens. I think Bayer 04 want to keep me and I'm in a good frame of mind.
Tickets are on sale for the last two Bayer 04 Women's team home games in 2025. Fans can now purchase tickets for the matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium against RB Leipzig and the final fixture of the year in the Rückrunde opener against German champions Bayern Munich. The latest information at a glance.
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Eliminated ahead of the offline round: On Tuesday, 18 November, the Leverkusen console pros played the two remaining matches in the online preliminary round of showdown two. After picking up six points from the first four games last week, the #B04eSports team bagged another three in the two final duels - but it wasn't enough. The Leverkusen team missed out on a place in the offline knockout round, which will take place in this second showdown on 23 November in Frankfurt am Main.
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The VBL Club Championship by WOW 2025/26 continues today, Tuesday 18 November, with the last two of the six online preliminary round matches in the second showdown. Starting at 18:00 CET, Bayer 04 face Karlsruher SC, followed by Borussia Mönchengladbach at 19:00 CET. The games will be streamed live on the Bayer 04 app and on the club Twitch channel. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 has presented the groups on the Monheim council with extensively revised proposals for the planned Campus. As part of constructive discussions, the club presented a plan to the CDU, SPD, Greens, FDP, PETO and the Left Party that envisages a one-third reduction in the area of the site on Alfred-Nobel-Strasse. The distance to neighbours will be increased by almost 60 percent. The green corridor will therefore be significantly larger than previously planned. Here are the main changes.
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A disappointing Sunday afternoon in the Hanseatic city: The Bayer 04 Women missed out on a place in the DFB Pokal quarter-finals after a penalty shoot-out at Hamburger SV. After more than 120 minutes of play, coach Roberto Pätzold's team lost 4-2 on penalties to the Bundesliga newcomers in front of 3,993 spectators at the Volksparkstadion. Julia Mickenhagen's brilliant strike to level at 1-1 on 73 minutes was not enough for the Werkself in this tie. The Bayer Leverkusen Women’s team reached quarter-finals in both of the previous two seasons.
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