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.
Bayer 04 have fond memories of their encounters with Heidenheim, including a resounding 6-0 win in the reverse fixture. Kasper Hjulmand’s side would very much like to produce a similarly clinical display as they now head to the Voith-Arena for Matchday 27 on Saturday (15:30 CET). But they come up against a team fighting for their Bundesliga lives at the bottom of the table, 10 points adrift of safety with time running out. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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The Bayer 04 Women welcome FC Carl Zeiss Jena to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday night in a white retro look - and in a unique Bayer 04 ‘50 Years of Fan Clubs’ special edition jersey. In sporting terms, head coach Roberto Pätzold's team will face the Bundesliga's bottom team at 18:30 CET looking to keep their chances of third place in the table alive with six games left to play.
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Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action this weekend. Following their elimination in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, the Werkself are away to FC Heidenheim 1846 on Saturday, 21 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET) on Bundesliga matchday 27. Ahead of the clash in the eastern Swabian Alps, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the fixture and the chances of qualifying for the Champions League next term.
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A quick look at the table shows the situation at FC Heidenheim is serious. The Bundesliga bottom club are already ten points behind the play-off spot with their backs to the wall in sporting terms. With eight games left to play, avoiding relegation appears to be a mission impossible. Nevertheless, they are far from flying the white flag at the Schlossberg ahead of the clash with the Werkself this Saturday, 21 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without the two strikers in the immediate future. Caroline Kehrer suffered a torn ligament in her right knee and Amy Wrigge tore her cruciate ligament.
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