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"We've hardly had time in the first part of the day to assess the fitness of the players. But that's normal in this phase. We will particularly use the time this afternoon to recover well. We will train again once on Saturday. We have an important game against a direct rival ahead of us," said Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard sounding a warning about the hosts: "We will face a very good opponent. It won't be easy. They have a lot of power and are full of running." The 41-year-old coach then also made it clear: "We have the clear target of playing with maximum intensity to match our opponents on the pitch." That requires enough time to recover.
Alonso did not want to reveal his thinking on the line-up for Sunday: "We have a big squad. All the players are important and we will need them all in the coming weeks. We will only be able to make a final decision on Sunday. But I'm sure the best team possible will be on the pitch."
Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba and Jeremie Frimpong are on the verge of a one-match ban. However, Alonso does not want to "rest" the duo: "The next game is always the most important and we will take it seriously." The fitness of midfielder Exequiel Palacios is also a concern: "He felt something at the back of his thigh yesterday. We’ll have to wait and see what happens over the course of the day."
Alonso also praised the performance of substitute striker Sardar Azmoun: "He had a big influence on our game yesterday but also against Freiburg and Schalke. Adam Hlozek is a good option as well. Nadiem Amiri is also fit again. We have enough options in attack. It's my job to make these hard decisions."
Alonso was also thrilled by the reception for the team bus yesterday by thousands of Leverkusen fans on Bismarckstraße: "It was the first time for me as a coach experiencing something like that. The connection between team and fans is incredibly important. It was great to see it." The Werkself set off for Wolfsburg on Sunday morning where they will again have support: 600 fans are expected to travel from Leverkusen.
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...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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