…the player Santiago Arias: I will do my best here every day. I've already been able to gain a lot of experience in my career so far. I want to bring that to the team and make my contribution to achieving the club's targets.
…the South American teammates at the Werkself: Of course, they are a help to me; being with them is like being in a small South American family. But I quickly found my feet in the Netherlands in my time at PSV Eindhoven (2013 to 2018, ed.). I don't think I'll need a lot of time to settle in.
…the approach of his former club Atlético Madrid in comparison Bayer 04: The biggest difference is definitely the amount of possession. The main thing under Diego Simeone in Madrid was keeping a clean sheet. Here we want to be attacking and get on the front foot – I like that.
…a possible appearance at the weekend in the clash with VfB Stuttgart: I feel I'm an established part of the squad now. I'm fit and I'm just waiting for the coach's decision.
A disciplined defensive performance in the second leg saw Bayer 04 prevail against Olympiacos in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. Thanks to the 2-0 away win in the first leg, the goalless draw at home at the BayArena was enough to ensure progress to the next round. The Black and Reds kept their opponents away from their goal for the best part of 90 minutes.
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Bayer 04 can go through to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the ninth time tonight, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET) and be in the top 16 clubs in Europe. A good omen: Leverkusen have progressed to the next round after winning the first leg in 20 of their 22 knockout rounds in European competitions to date. For their part, Greek record champions Olympiacos rested several players for last weekend’s league fixture ahead of the play-off second leg at the BayArena and will now do everything in their power to turn the tide with their usual aggressive and high pressing. The discussions on Werkself radio are likely to be just as intense as the battle on the pitch, with commentator Florian Bechholz welcoming honorary captain Stefan Kießling and goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Today’s matchday news.
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With the advantage of the 2-0 first-leg win in the play-offs, the Werkself are looking to book their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League at the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the home game against Olympiacos on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand and goalkeeper Janis Blaswich spoke about the position ahead of the match, the visitors' strength at set-pieces and a personnel issue for the home side.
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With a win in the Greek Super League last weekend, Olympiacos achieved success on the pitch ahead of the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg at Bayer 04 on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET). Coach José Luis Mendilibar rested many of his regular starters.
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