"It's clear we'd like to end the year with another good performance. But both teams obviously want that," said Gerardo Seoane in describing the situation ahead of the clash in Freiburg. SCF are definitely one of the surprise teams of this Bundesliga season. Freiburg have picked up 26 points from 16 games and are currently fifth in the table. In addition, the team under coach Christian Streich have the strongest defence in the league at the moment having conceded just 15 goals. "They are compact and very disciplined," declared the Werkself coach.
The Swiss boss will have to manage without Moussa Diaby on Sunday. The Frenchman was shown two yellow cards in the game against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and will therefore miss the last game of the year. In addition to Diaby, only Julian Baumgartlinger and Mitchel Bakker are definitely sidelined. Jeremie Frimpong will return to the squad after serving a one-match ban.
The Dutchman is a candidate for the starting line-up as is his teammate Patrik Schick. The Czech striker is currently in a rich vein of form and has scored all of the Werkself's last eight goals in the Bundesliga. "He's a sensational striker who has both technical and physical qualities," said Seoane in praise of his player who has now netted 16 goals in the first half of the season (plus three assists) and thereby set a new club record – the previous one was set by Ulf Kirsten in 1997/98 with 14 goals up to the winter break.
"Of course," said the coach, "Patrik is in top form. But a centre-forward always needs a good provider." The Werkself have that in the shape of Diaby, Wirtz, Adli and Co. Nevertheless, Seoane emphasises "how important a number nine is for our game." And, with Schick and Lucas Alario, there are two strikers who "can also find the back of the net."
In Christian Streich, there is a man in the dugout at Freiburg who enjoys the utmost respect from the Swiss coach. "His personality and his humanity are impressive. In addition, he's a fantastic coach who has got more than the maximum out of SC Freiburg for years," said the 43-year-old, who again pointed to the balance of the league ahead of the last Bundesliga match of the year. "The fact a lot of teams are close together, says a lot for a certain concentration of performance," said Seoane. "It will be a difficult game – not just for us but for any team that has to play at Freiburg."
Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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