
...the last two league games against Wolfsburg (1-4) and Freiburg (1-0): We produced a focussed performance in Freiburg. You can’t ignore how well and with intensity Wolfsburg and Freiburg defend. Every team finds it hard going against those two sides. In addition, it’s now well known that our tempo in attack can be very dangerous. That has led to opponents not allowing us as much space to play on the break. We still have five games to go where we’ll find other means and ways and we’ll have to see what weapons we can use for each game.
...the next opponents FC Bayern: They always have a lot more possession than their opponents and are good at pressing and counter-pressing under Hansi Flick. They are aggressive and are quick to opponents under pressure. You can see that from watching them and the stats show it as well. We’ll face a team on Saturday who will be up for the game, very intensive in challenges and will want to win the ball high up the pitch. We had a similar sort of game in Munich. And, nevertheless, there was space and we found it. We want to do the same at the weekend.
...the tight race in the Bundesliga for a Champions League finish: The high standard of the top five is impressive. There are few slip-ups. There are still five games to play and some very important games coming up in quick succession.
…the messages from the Bundesliga players Jadon Sancho, Weston McKennie, Marcus Thuram and Anthony Modeste at the weekend following the death of the African American George Floyd in the USA: I think the messages sent from the Bundesliga so far have mainly been positive and very commendable. For example, if I think of Wendell, who also has religious messages on his undershirt, then they are primarily encouraging and decent messages. It’s about solidarity and humanity. In the specific case of a negative or questionable message, the club or association can intervene.
…the recent restart of league fixtures in his home country Austria: I’m very happy for them. They have matches coming up in the next few weeks – similar to the third division in Germany. But the whole country has been waiting a long time for the comeback and the lockdown was very tough. Therefore, the players are now happy and are looking forward to playing again. The infrastructure and the health system in Austria are comparable with those in Germany.
Following the press conference, Baumgartlinger made himself available to Bayer 04 TV for an interview. Click HERE for the video.

Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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The next footballing highlight is just around the corner: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and feature 48 teams for the first time. Bayer04.de has all the latest on the Werkself players called up to represent their countries.
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While the majority of the Bayer 04 Women are enjoying their summer break, nine Werkself players will be on duty for their national teams in the coming days. Three of them are competing for a place at the World Cup, while six are involved in two friendlies with the Germany U23 team.
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