While all is quiet at club level for Bayer 04 since the last day of the 2020/21 Bundesliga season, there is international action at the moment. Several Werkself players have been in action for their countries. That also applies to the two South American Werkself players Charles Aránguiz and Exequiel Palacios. In the World Cup qualifiers, Chile with our captain, who played the full 90 minutes, drew 1-1 with Bolivia. The Black and Red midfield dynamo Exequiel Palacios came on as a substitute for Giovanni Lo Celso on 54 minutes in the game between the 'Albiceleste' and Colombia. This match also ended in a draw for Palacios and the Argentina national side – with a 2-2 scoreline after the team under head coach Lionel Scaloni gave away a 2-0 lead.
Another Werkself player was on international duty 10,000 kilometres away in the Generali Arena in Prague. In a friendly ahead of the forthcoming European Championship, the Czech team with Patrik Schick faced Albania. The Leverkusen striker opened the scoring on 18 minutes to set his team on course for a 3-1 victory.
Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger (Austria) were in the squad on Sunday for a friendly against Slovakia – the match ended in a goalless draw. The two Leverkusen players did not play. The Werkself shot-stopper Lukas Hradecky was between the sticks for the Eagle Owls. The Finland team under coach Markku Kanerva lost 1-0 to Estonia. Joel Pohjanpalo, on loan at Union Berlin last season, played for 61 minutes.
Talking about the European Championship: Werkself supporters will see one or two familiar faces at home on TV during the tournament that opens on Friday, 11 June with the match between Italy and Turkey (kick-off: 21.00 CEST). The former Bayer 04 youth and assistant coach Peter Hyballa is working for ZDF as a TV pundit for the Euros. Hyballa, who worked at the Performance Centre and with the senior squad from 2014 to 2016, will mainly contribute his tactical expertise.
The former Werkself defender Rudolf Wojtowicz is 65 years old today. The Pole, who was a member of the Black and Red defence from 1982 to 1986, made 80 appearances for the Werkself in four seasons and scored two goals along the way. Wojtowicz has been working as a scout for VfL Wolfsburg since 2010. In March 2021 he collapsed on the way to a scouting mission and was taken to hospital. Bayer 04 wish Rudolf many happy returns and all the best.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career working as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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Fans at the BayArena got to enjoy a spectacle on Wednesday as the Werkself came from behind to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the DFB Pokal. Now with the sixth home game of the season, can Bayer 04 maintain their perfect record in Leverkusen as VfB Stuttgart come to town in the Bundesliga on Saturday (15:30 CET)? The visitors have had issues domestically this term, sitting in 15th place, although they have had much better results in the UEFA Champions League. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 8 encounter…
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Three days after the spectacular comeback in the DFB Pokal tie against FC Nürnberg (5–2), the Werkself face their next challenge in the Bundesliga. On Saturday, 31 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET), Bayer 04 host VfB Stuttgart, currently 15th in the table, at the BayArena. Ahead of the match, Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about important factors in preparing for this next game given a tight fixture list.
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Despite VfB Stuttgart performing well in the Champions League, they are facing a difficult spell early on in the Bundesliga. Three days after their last-minute victory in the DFB Pokal at SC Paderborn 07, the Swabians can now take to the pitch at the BayArena with greater confidence on Saturday, 31 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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