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"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.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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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. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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