After the spectacular 6-2 victory over Nice in last Thursday night’s Europa League match, the Bayer 04 players face a completely different opponent in the Bundesliga in the shape of FC Augsburg. While Nice are a possession-based side, “that builds their game from the back and takes risks, I expect Augsburg to be more compact at the back. They look to play quick counter-attacking football and prefer to play long balls,” said Bosz at the pre-match press conference ahead of Monday night’s game. “Against Augsburg, we’ll do nothing different and primarily focus on our own game. In terms of the way we play, we did nothing different against Nice than we did in the four Bundesliga games before that,” added the head coach.
After the first Monday match of the season for the Werkself, Bayer 04 could be at the top end of the table – depending on the outcome of the match between Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim on Sunday afternoon that could even mean fourth place. “Of course, we’ll try to win the game tomorrow – and in my opinion we have to do that! As we would obviously prefer to be in fourth position. However, in the end what really matters is where we are on matchday 34 and that won’t be decided tomorrow.”
The statistical omens for an outcome in favour of the Werkself are good ahead of the game: Bayer 04 have not lost any of the 18 clashes to date with Augsburg (12 wins, 6 draws) and the Blacks and Reds have even won the last four encounters without conceding a single goal.
Against Augsburg, Peter Bosz will again have to manage without the skipper Charles Aránguiz, Santiago Arias, Paulinho and Patrik Schick. The latter has returned to individual training with the ball this week. “Patrik is on the right track but it will be a while before he’ll be able to make his comeback,” revealed Bosz.
The coach has said he is “very happy” with Schick’s fellow striker Lucas Alario: “It’s not easy for him in the role he’s had here for a long time. He has played regularly but has not been not a first choice. But over recent weeks he’s shown: He’s there when he’s needed. He does that brilliantly – hats off to him.”
While Alario is hoping for his third start in succession, Bosz has said he will rotate: “If you only have two days off between games then you have to rotate. Some players can cope better with the double fixture weeks and others find it more difficult. I regularly talk to my assistant and fitness coaches. And we try to plan around that.”
Match information:
Broadcasters: DAZN and Werks11 Radio
Referee: The referee will be announced on the day of the match
Attendance: The match will be played behind closed doors due to the high infection rate in and around Leverkusen
Trophies as a youth, appearances in the pro game and his first taste of international competition: new arrival Luca Erlein, who has been signed from TSG Hoffenheim and is set to go out on loan to Bundesliga 2 newcomers Energie Cottbus for the coming season, can already look back on some remarkable achievements and moments in his fledgling career. We take a closer look at the 19-year-old right-back, who can also fill other roles across the defensive line.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new coffee partner. The club has agreed a long-term partnership with the Bocholt-based roastery Imping, running to 30 June 2031. The exclusive partnership with the family-run business includes the installation of fully automatic coffee machines at the BayArena, as well as the right to supply and serve coffee products in the business areas during Werkself home games.
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Plenty going on both on and off the pitch: The Bayer 04 fan support team has organised a number of highlights for fans visiting the Werkself 2026/27 summer training camp in Blankenhain, in the Weimarer Land region. Registration for the events is now open. All the details at a glance.
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The Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team and s2-Software are continuing their long-term partnership: The Werkself and the provider of pre-owned Microsoft licences have extended their contract by two years to 2028. This means s2-Software will remain the Bayer 04 sleeve sponsor for all matches in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga.
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BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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