While Bayer 04 go into the home game with a fair amount of confidence given the 1-0 win against SC Paderborn and progression to the last 32 of the DFB Cup, Gladbach have had to cope with the late cup exit away to Borussia Dortmund (1-2). "But I don't think being knocked out means much for the forthcoming game," said Bosz dismissing such thoughts. "They put great pressure on Dortmund and played with a lot courage and energy and, at times, produced some very good football." The Werkself coach was not interested in questions about who are the favourites: "We want to win the game!"
Above all, a look at the table shows the significance of this match: A win would put Bayer 04 within a point of Borussia Mönchengladbach and secure a position amongst the leading group. The teams in the top half of the table are so close together that there is a good chance of moving up with a win. "Last week I thought the table would have thinned out. But it's still very tight given the many draws and also defeats for the top teams," said Bosz before adding: "Therefore, there's no point looking at other teams. We want to win the game because we want to compete at the very top. The three points would help us a lot with that."
The Werkself coach was able to relate good news about the current injury situation at Bayer 04: Wendell, Charles Aránguiz and Leon Bailey have returned to training and "they had a light session yesterday." Bosz is very happy to see the return of injured players given the busy fixture list.
Lucas Alario has been centre stage in recent games. The 27-year-old scored against Bremen and against Paderborn in the cup. The striker has been rewarded for his performances with another call-up to the Argentina squad. "He absolutely deserves it! He's playing brilliantly, is fit and scoring goals. The fact he has been called up again, although Messi is back, must be very good for his confidence," said Bosz in praise of his player who could again make the difference in the match against the league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Match information:
Attendance: Bayer 04 are expecting a sold-out BayArena.
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Berlin)
Live on TV: Sky
Matchday hashtag: #B04BMG
The Werkself conceded a goal at home for the first time since the beginning of January 67 minutes into the game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. Jarell Quansah levelled late on for the final score of 1-1 to secure a point and avoid a first home defeat in six games. Bayer 04 were very critical of their performance after the game. The Werkself review.
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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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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 on Matchday 24 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
