"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."
Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
Show more
Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
Show more
Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
Show more
The next footballing highlight is just around the corner: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and feature 48 teams for the first time. Bayer04.de has all the latest on the Werkself players called up to represent their countries.
Show more
While the majority of the Bayer 04 Women are enjoying their summer break, nine Werkself players will be on duty for their national teams in the coming days. Three of them are competing for a place at the World Cup, while six are involved in two friendlies with the Germany U23 team.
Show more
