The Werkself will play Hapoel Beer Sheva and Nice for the first time. The only previous meeting with Slavia Prague was in 1992/93 in the group stage of the Intertoto Cup – Bayer 04 won the first leg 3-1 and the second leg ended in a 0-0 draw.
Simon Rolfes: "With Slavia Prague and Nice we’re up against two established European clubs. Opponents we have to take seriously – Slavia are the Czech champions, Nice are a top team from the country of the World Cup winners. On top of that, there's the cup winners from Israel whose qualification for the group stage is perhaps a bit of a surprise. It's clear we have the ambition to go through."
Matchday 1: 22 October 2020
Matchday 2: 29 October 2020
Matchday 3: 5 November 2020
Matchday 4: 26 November 2020
Matchday 5: 3 December 2020
Matchday 6: 10 December 2020
The UEFA Executive Committee decided on Thursday, 1 October to allow a limited number of spectators to attend Europa League matches. At the same time, UEFA referred to the national and regional regulations on staging games during the coronavirus pandemic. Against that background, Bayer 04 are assuming that the capacity of 20 per cent for Bundesliga games will apply to the first home game in October; obviously under the hygiene and organisational concept applied to the Leipzig fixture and the seven-day infection rate in Leverkusen being below 35. The procedure for allocating match tickets will be the same: A ballot will be held amongst season ticket holders with the BundesligaPlus model who have taken out the ‘Draw’ option.
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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