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There is plenty of confidence – on both sides: While the visitors from Bochum have won the last three Bundesliga matches, the Werkself have gone one better with four wins on the bounce. "We are expecting a very, very intense match and an opponent playing with a lot of energy," said Xabi Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon. "They fight for every ball. We also need that commitment to come out on top."
The previous match in Mönchengladbach (3-2) serves as a lesson and illustration right up to the last minute to "give everything. If we don't play with the highest mentality, focus and intensity then everybody will have chances against us." Last weekend, the Werkself built up a 3-0 lead but conceded two goals late on.
As at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Charles Aránguiz and Patrik Schick are again unavailable for the match against Bochum. In response to a question on centre forward Schick, Alonso gave an update: "Patrik feels a lot better and has made good progress in the last two weeks. He definitely won't be with us tomorrow and it's probably too early for Dortmund. But he's getting closer."
One Black and Red player being talked about for their efforts on the pitch is Mitchel Bakker. The 22-year-old Dutchman has started for the Werkself at left-back in the last four matches and Bakker scored the opening goal in the clash with the Foals. Alonso was full of praise in response to a question about Bakker: "We've worked a lot with Mitch and said to him he has to get forward into the box more often. He scored the goal from two yards out and he went right from the back to right to the front. That's exactly what I want to see."
Around 26,500 tickets have been sold for the first Bundesliga home game of the year with 3,000 going to Bochum fans. Tickets for the match at the BayArena kicking off at 20.30 CET are still available via the usual options including at the ticket web shop. Information on ticket sales can be found HERE.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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