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…
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
Show more
With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
Show more
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…
Show more
From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
Show more
Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
Show more
