He knows where the opposition goal is. Lucas Alario has impressively demonstrated his qualities as a striker in the previous matches in the second half of the season: The 29-year-old has scored in two of the last four Bundesliga matches after coming on as a substitute. Gerardo Seoane has great confidence in the Werkself number 13 who found the back of the net eleven times in the 2020/21 season to become the top goalscorer for the club last term: "I'm convinced Lucas will get his goals in the coming weeks and help the team," said the Swiss coach at the start of the build-up to the home game against Arminia Bielefeld.
Alario justifies that confidence through hard work day after day – also in addition to full training. The nine-time Argentina international was again the last player on the training ground on Monday afternoon as he completed an extra shift after the session with his teammates.
That mostly pays off. The personal stats of the Argentinian are worth a look. Since his move to the Rhineland in 2017, Alario has clocked up 54 goals and 16 assists in 151 appearances for Leverkusen. He has been on the pitch for 7,649 minutes – that means he scores a goal every 141 minutes on average.
Other plus points for the South American: Despite less minutes on the pitch in the Bundesliga this season (252), he has never let his head drop in training sessions or after coming off the bench and he has always given everything for the success of the team as Seoane never tires of emphasising. "Lucas completely understands that Patrik has had more time on the pitch recently," said the 43-year-old who also declared: "Patrik's run of form has not affected our relationship with Lucas and our confidence in him in any way."
Another option for the Werkself attack is new signing Sardar Azmoun. The Iran international moved under the Bayer Cross in the winter transfer window from the top Russian club Zenit St Petersburg. The 27-year-old is still waiting for his first game for the Black and Reds due to an injury and a Covid-19 infection.
The infection recently put him back a few days on his way to making his debut for Bayer 04. After some relaxed sessions at the weekend, Azmoun is gradually building up his training regime and intensity. "He will most probably take part in sections of full training in the middle or at the end of the week," said Seoane. A possible first inclusion in the squad for the home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday 26 February (kick-off: 15.30 CET) has not been completely ruled out.
The personnel options in the Werkself attack remain of high quality even after the loss of Patrik Schick. The Black and Red goal machine (60 goals in 23 games) will continue to function…
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 as he worked 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 personalised 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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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
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