Back
6.09.2022Champions League

Andrich on Champions League: ‘Feel great anticipation’

Bayer 04 have arrived in Bruges: A brief pitch inspection at the Jan Breydel Stadium was followed by the pre-match press conference at the media centre of the Belgian champions on Tuesday evening. The key statements from head coach Gerardo Seoane and Robert Andrich who could make his debut in the UEFA Champions League tomorrow against Club Brugge (kick-off: 21.00 CEST).

Display videos

Yes, I'd like to see videos dispalyed.

"There's no doubt we are looking forward to this new competition," stated Gerardo Seoane at the start. "Our participation in the Champions League is the reward for very good work last season by many, many people at our club."

According to the Swiss coach, the Werkself are expecting the Belgian champions to be a "team strong at home who have a good mix of the physical and footballing quality."

Debutant Andrich, winner Hudson-Odoi

While Gerardo Seoane has been in the dugout six times in the champions league in the 2018/29 season as the head coach of the Swiss club Young Boys Bern, Robert Andrich is waiting for his first appearance in Europe's premier club competition. The Werkself number eight was playing in the third division four years ago but the dream of playing in the Champions League was in his mind back then: "I said to myself I’d do it by 27. Now I’m here at the age of 27 and I'm proud of it. It will be a moving, special moment for me. The anticipation is growing and growing!"

crop_20220903_JS_CLU_B04_MD1_0840.jpg

One player who does know how it feels to play in the Champions League is teammate Callum Hudson-Odoi. The six-year younger new signing at the Werkself won the tournament last summer with Chelsea. Ahead of the game, Seoane refused to divulge whether Hudson-Odoi would start at the Jan Breydel Stadium. The technically gifted Englishman with his confidence on the ball staked his claim with a "convincing" performance in Saturday's home game against SC Freiburg.

Over 1,200 Werkself Fans in Bruges

In spite of the 3-2 defeat against Freiburg, Seoane took several positives in the clash. So, the approach to the game against the Belgian champions will require "courage, energy and complete conviction," as the Leverkusen head coach declared at the end.

The Werkself will again be able to rely on strong support from the stands at the Jan Breydel Stadium: Over 1,200 Bayer 04 fans will be at the game on Wednesday night.

Related News

Kurzpässe vor #B04RBL
Bundesliga - 02.05.2026

Matchday news #B04RBL: All in red for the next top match win

In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.

Show more
Garcia und Grimaldo
eSports - 01.05.2026

Bayer 04 represented in Bundesliga Team of the Season again

Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.

Show more
T-Shirt-Verkauf für den guten Zweck mit Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza und Christian Kofane
Bayer 04 - 01.05.2026

Big crowd at shirt sale for a good cause with Tapsoba, Maza and Kofane - last chance at home matchday

This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.

Show more
Spaß im Training
Women - 01.05.2026

Bayer 04 Women on hunt for records in Essen

With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).

Show more
Rudi Vollborn
Bayer 04 - 01.05.2026

Rudi recounts…: Vollborn’s May highlights

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…

Show more