Due to the bad weather in Nice, the Bayer 04 team and staff set off for Germany a couple of hours earlier than planned. The recovery session was originally to be held on the Côte d'Azur but the coaching staff moved the Friday session to the afternoon in Leverkusen due to the heavy rain in Nice. The head coach was asked about the absence of Tin Jedvaj due to illness: "I haven't spoken to the physios yet but if he can train again today then it is possible he may be back on Sunday." The 57-year-old was unable to make a prediction about Lucas Alario or Sven Bender other than to say they would have to at least train on Saturday to be in with a chance of playing in the away game in Gelsenkirchen. Mitchell Weiser will definitely return to the squad.
The Werkself were able to continue the winning run in the Europa League on Thursday night even without the prolific goalscorer and the key defender. Speaking at the press conference after the 3-2 victory at Nice, Bosz highlighted the mentality of his team and he repeated that ahead of the 76th meeting with Schalke (32 wins, 23 draws, 20 defeats). "From the start of the season we’ve really played like a team. The players are doing very well. Every coach is happy to see his players consistently produce good performances. That has a lot to do with organisation – and we've got that right. We've been working with a lot of the players for two years. They know exactly how we work as a team against the ball, with the ball and in turnover play. And for example, that's how we can prevent counter-attacks from our opponents. Defensive work all over the pitch is working. When we lose the ball then we quickly get it back. At the moment we are very solid."
Bosz added: "Even though we struggled with the final ball against Hertha in the league they did not get many chances." You need that "solidity" to compete at the top.
The Werkself are away to bottom-of-the-table Schalke 04 on Sunday. While Bayer 04 are unbeaten in ten games this season, the Royal Blues are waiting for their first Bundesliga win this term – over the two campaigns that stretches to 25 games. Bosz is not afraid that Schalke 04 will break that run on Sunday: "Being afraid of losing a game: I’ve never felt like that. And I won't address that with the team. But we know that Schalke are not playing that badly as the position the table might suggest. You can see their quality at times as in the recent game against Gladbach." Bosz added that confidence does obviously suffer if you go for so long without a win. Heads quickly drop at that point.
It is quite the opposite for the Werkself who go to Gelsenkirchen in confident mood. "We'll approach the game seriously. It's an important match for us," declared the Dutchman.
Bosz was also asked about the postponement of the DFB Cup game against Eintracht Frankfurt from 23 December to 12 January: "The fact is we have hardly had a pre-season just like Bayern. We've played the highest number of games in 2020 along with Munich. For me it's logical that our cup game has been postponed. That means we can give the players a couple of days more holiday and better control the workload."
Monster Energy has been a partner in the Sponsors Club at Bayer 04 Leverkusen since the start of the 2023/24 season. Monster Energy has shown their products at Werkself home games on the LED advertising hoardings at the BayArena. Monster Energy activated the next stage of the partnership with the current Bundesliga league leaders for Bayer 04’s home game against Union Berlin in the middle of November. Monster Energy will continue to present themselves as a reliable and ambitious partner to Leverkusen fans through similar promotional events as at the game against Union Berlin.
Show moreBayer 04 involvement with the ‘Kältegang Leverkusen’ project continues this winter. The current Bundesliga league leaders and their fans again presented financial and in-kind donations to the homeless charity at home game against Borussia Dortmund (1-1).
Show moreThe Werkself remain unbeaten after the 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 13. The one-sided game demanded a lot of strength of nerve and competitive spirit from Xabi Alonso's team. In the end, Victor Boniface rewarded the relentless attacking efforts of the league leaders against passive but efficient visitors. The Werkself review.
Show moreBayer 04 were held to a 1-1 draw by Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 13 in the Bundesliga. Julian Ryerson had put the visitors in front at a sold-out BayArena after only five minutes. Leverkusen would go on to dominate proceedings and finally get their deserved equaliser through Victor Boniface in the 79th minute. It’s a result that extends the Werkself’s unbeaten run in all competitions this season to 20 matches.
Show moreFor the 17th time, Bayer 04 Sportförderung gGmbH has awarded the Volunteers Award for outstanding commitment to football in Leverkusen and the surrounding region. The three outstanding clubs in 2023 are BSV Roleber 1919, TuS 05 Oberpleis and SV 1924 Glehn. They will each receive prize money of €5,000.
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