"Following the 4-0 home win against Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Black and Reds are looking for the first away win in the current Bundesliga season after the 1-1 draw at Union Berlin. And the signs are very positive from a Bayer 04 perspective. One reason is the stats: The Werkself have not lost any of the previous 20 Bundesliga matches against Augsburg (13 wins, 7 draws). “It's definitely an oddity," said Leverkusen's coach Seoane looking at the statistics, "but every game starts at 0-0. For us as a team it's about focusing on the next opponent week by week."
The win against Gladbach has provided a "boost" for the forthcoming challenges. "You could see that in training this week," reported the Swiss manager. However, it is "very important to find out why the performance was good. Our aim against Augsburg must be to achieve a similar level of performance – as a team and individually." That means: The strength in challenges shown by Bayer 04 against Gladbach and the aggressive counter pressing will also be required at Augsburg to achieve a positive result.
Once again, Seoane will have to manage without Karim Bellarabi and Lucas Alario at Augsburg in addition to long-term injuries Edmond Tapsoba (ankle) and Timothy Fosu-Mensah (cruciate). Bellarabi and Alario did take part in full training this week but are not available for the away fixture at FCA. And Julian Baumgartlinger (knee) will also not travel with the team to Augsburg.
It appears extremely likely that new signing Piero Hincapie will be in the Werkself squad for the first time at Augsburg. "He trained all week and has good basic fitness as he completed the first part of the pre-season in Argentina. He's definitely available," explained Seoane. With Amine Adli, who signed a five-year deal in Leverkusen on Thursday, the coaching staff will see how he does in the final pre-match training session.
Seoane has seen a positive development with his team after three games. "The players take on board lots of points we bring up in training," said the former defender before adding: "That started with the cup game, then in Berlin and now against Gladbach. The Gladbach match is a really good yardstick. If we manage to produce that aggression and solidarity on the pitch week by week then we will definitely be able to make better use of our playing ability."
That worked very well against the Foals. But now the incentive must be, "to regularly show that throughout the season in different competitions." He added," It's a much bigger target than a position."
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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