"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."
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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