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
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.
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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).
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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 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.
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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.
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