The era of Pavel Nedved, Milan Baros, Tomas Rosicky and Petr Cech in the Czech Republic team is long gone. And the great international successes such as European Championship runners-up in 1996 against Germany or the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 are also in the past. There has been a change of generations over recent years in the 'Reprezentace' (The Team). Werkself striker Patrik Schick is happy with the direction the team is taking: "When those players stopped playing for the national team, the lads were not yet ready for the task at hand. They just weren't experienced enough. But after four years of working together each and everyone has developed. Now we've got good quality in the team," the 25-year-old explained.
The Czechs will have to be on top of their game in every match as, after the opening match against Scotland, the Czech Republic face two genuine heavyweights in World Cup runners-up Croatia and World Cup semi-finalists England. However, Schick believes in his team's own abilities: "Of course, we’re in a difficult group but we played England in the qualifiers and beat them 2-1. So we have the experience of overcoming a strong team within top players."
The Prague-born striker is positive about the organisation and team spirit in the Czech Republic side. He believes it's very difficult to break down the Silhavy team due to the "many workers on the pitch." Schick is looking to help out the team with the abilities that make him stand out: "I want to score as many goals as possible to support the team on the pitch. Of course, I'd like to go through this difficult group with my team. If we do that then we'll all be happy," Schick declared with ambition.
With all the anticipation for the international tournament, the whole thing is a bit of a downer for Patrik Schick. A European Championship away from the times of the pandemic would probably have been better for the supporters of the 'Reprezentace' in terms of following their team across Europe. "I wish it were possible for every spectator to come to Euro 2020. Even if it would be 90% English and only 10% Czechs in the stadium, I would have been very happy with that. We play for the people, the fans," the striker said with regret. Nevertheless, Schick wants to be able to help fans celebrate at home in front of the TV...
HERE is the Euro 2020 interview with Aleksandar Dragovic.
HERE is the Euro 2020 interview with Lukas Hradecky.
The long-standing successful collaboration between Bayer 04 and the transport service provider wupsi GmbH has been expanded: From January 2026, 100 wupsi bikes with Bayer 04 branding will be available for hire throughout the city of Leverkusen. They will complement the many existing offers and services that provide key support, especially for fans travelling to and from home matches at the BayArena.
Show more
The Werkself are back! Following the two-week winter break, head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team began the new year with an open session on Sunday. After Robert Andrich and his teammates arrived in Leverkusen yesterday for the official check-in, they got back down to business a day later in front of around 1,200 fans at the Ulrich Haberland Stadion. The report from the Werkself's first session of 2026.
Show more
In her debut season of 2024/25, Cornelia Kramer immediately became the top scorer for Bayer 04 Women. However, the Danish national team striker was stopped by an injury at the start of the new season. Now, just in time before the end of last year, she is fit again – and has extended her contract early until 2027. In this interview, the 23-year-old talks about the reasons for her decision and looks ahead.
Show more
After a two-week winter break, the Werkself resume training on Sunday, 4 January. The first session in 2026 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium starts at 11:00 and is open to fans. Bayer 04 look forward to welcoming supporters at the start of 2026. The Werkself schedule for the new year.
Show more
