"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."
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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