Yes, I'd like to see videos dispalyed.
"We have to produce our best performance on the pitch tomorrow. We've only played one game so far. We did win it but there are things that we could certainly improve on," explained Xabi Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Friday 25 August.
“Last weekend's successful opener against Leipzig (3-2, ed.) was definitely important," stressed the Spaniard but now the focus is on looking forwards to the first game on the road. Alonso: "We've taken the first step and now, of course, we want to win away too. The match against Mönchengladbach will be difficult for us." The 41-year-old coach knows about the "rivalry between the two clubs" and is therefore expecting an "emotional" match.
For the encounter with the Foals, Alonso will again have to manage without the injured Patrick Schick as well as the suspended Piero Hincapie and Amine Adli.
The clash on Saturday night will bring reunions for Bayer 04 and Borussia. The Werkself led by skipper Lukas Hradecky are up against the current BMG head coach and Alonso predecessor Gerardo Seoane for the first time since he took over the Foals at the beginning of June.
Alonso only had words of praise for the Swiss manager: "Gerardo is a good coach. Everybody at Bayer 04 only says positive things about him. Unfortunately there wasn't any contact back then. Therefore I'm very much looking forward to meeting him on Saturday and catching up with that moment."
The two new signings Jonas Hofmann and Granit Xhaka will also meet up with familiar faces on Saturday. Xhaka played for the Foals from 2012 to 2016, Hofmann was still at Gladbach last season. "It will definitely be a special and emotional game for him," said Alonso.
Alonso will once again be able to count on outstanding support from the stands in Saturday's match against the Foals: Over 3,000 Bayer 04 fans are set to be at BORUSSIA PARK for the first Werkself away game in the new season.
Werkself TV shows highlights of the 2-0 win at Olympiacos in the first leg of the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league...
Show more
The Werkself beat Olympiacos 2-0 in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off first leg to claim a crucial victory in the Greek capital. After a focused first-half display with a number of presentable chances, Patrik Schick crowned a textbook counter to hand the Werkself the lead on the hour (60’). The Czech rounded off his brace when he headed in from a corner just 144 seconds later. Bayer 04 maintained their lead with aplomb to achieve a good position for the return leg in Leverkusen.
Show more
Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
Show more
A bitter end to the fifth showdown of the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship as the #B04eSports team failed to take any points in the three remaining matches of the preliminary online round of the fifth and final showdown, missing out on the offline round. They can no longer take points in the overall table. Bayer 04 slipped out on the top eight, so direct participation in the final event for the German Club Championship is no longer possible, with Bayer 04 having to contest the play-offs.
Show more
