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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 32-year-old joins the Werkself from the Lower Rhine Bundesliga club on loan to the end of the current season. This is the reaction of Bayer 04 to the injury to first choice keeper Mark Flekken, who faces a long spell on the sidelines.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Jonas Omlin. Bayer 04 have signed the 32-year-old goalkeeper on loan from Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach until the end of the season. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes described the Swiss shot stopper, signed by the Werkself in reaction to the long-term absence of first choice keeper Mark Flekken, as an "internationally experienced keeper." Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the new signing, who will wear the number 18 jersey.
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Lucas Vázquez was the hero in Saturday's 1-0 home win against Werder Bremen, when the Spaniard scored his first Bundesliga goal to secure an important victory for Leverkusen. The 34-year-old right-sided recently met up with the Werkself magazine for an interview in the Düsseldorf restaurant Casa Galicia after the first few months of settling in to his new home in Germany. Over tapas, the five-time Champions League winner, who left Real Madrid in the summer after 18 years to continue his career at Bayer 04, spoke about his career to date, the new challenge in Leverkusen and the importance of family - and he paid a big compliment to the fans of his new club.
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