Leverkusen have very good memories of their last encounter with Dortmund, as Seoane recalled at his pre-match press conference on Friday. It’s also the first time in over two years that the two teams will meet in a full stadium following the end of restrictions. “The excitement ahead of the game is huge. It’s a top match to start us off and a big challenge against a good opponent, which we happily accept and in which both teams will put on an attractive game,” the 43-year-old said.
The Swiss coach believes that improvements across the board are required after the cup defeat. “We have to improve in many areas compared to the cup game. The most important thing against a good team like Dortmund is to work well in defence when we don’t have the ball, close up the spaces and support each other.” The boss also believes that greater aggression in defensive work is the foundation for more determined play in attack.
Bayer 04 had a week of focussed and intense training for that. Seoane added: “Obviously we were still very disappointed at the start. But an immediate reaction on the pitch is now key. It was important that the players were all engaged and focussed in training from Tuesday. I can sense a great passion and desire within the team.”
He believes that consistency is one of the key jobs for the coming season. “It might sound a bit foolhardy after the last game, but we’re ambitious and want to be among the league’s top teams like last season and keep the fight for the title exciting as long as we can. We have exciting players who’ve already taken a step forward and will keep doing so.” However, consistent performances are needed in all areas over the long term to “get the most out of what we’ve got,” as Seoane clearly stated.
Seoane also believes Saturday’s hosts are a team with lots of quality this year. “Dortmund have realigned very well in the summer, both in central defence and in attack. They’ve also got players with a lot of experience in their ranks,” the coach said before poignantly adding: “At this point our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Sebastien Haller. An excellent player with finishing ability who could replace Erling Haaland.”
Seoane has no new injury concerns compared to the cup game at Elversberg. Apart from Amine Adli and Florian Wirtz, the whole squad is available for selection. Adli returned to team training this week, but according to Seoane still needs time until he can play.
Seoane’s side can count on the support of 5,294 Leverkusen faithful for Saturday’s trip to the Signal Iduna Park.
The team itself will make the short journey north on Friday afternoon following final training in Leverkusen.
Christoph Daum was born on 24 October 1953 in Zwickau. As a child, he moved to West Germany with his mother and grew up in Duisburg. He developed a great enthusiasm for football at an early age, even though it soon became clear that his future lay less on the pitch than on the sidelines. Even at a young age, his passion for analysing, explaining and improving things became apparent.
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When the Bayer 04 players celebrated Christmas in 1960, they spent the winter in second place in the Oberliga West 2 on 20 points - but already five points behind leaders Schwarz-Weiß Essen. However, coach Erich Garske's team are struggling to get back on track in the new year. A goalless draw against Bonner FV at home at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium was followed by a 2-1 away defeat in Erkenschwick. The following home game also yielded just one point. As a result, the team's promotion ambitions dwindled to a minimum, as the gap to the coveted spot has now grown to a challenging ten points.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of February. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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It is 11 February 2006 and Schalke 04 and the Werkself kick off at 3.30 p.m. in a match that ends up being historic - at least from a Bayer 04 perspective.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month.
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