The match against Würzburger Kickers will be played at the JAKO Arena in Hollenbach in a 17.30 CET kick-off. The friendly has been organised by JAKO AG, kit supplier to both teams, in association with FSV Hollenbach.
Rudi Sprügel, founder and chairman of the board at JAKO AG: "I'm happy we can provide people from our home region with a great night of football. We have deep roots in Hohenlohe and therefore it is something special for me and our 230 employees to be able to watch the two teams on the pitch where our history as a sports kit supplier began."
After Rudi Sprügel founded JAKO Sportartikel Vertriebs GmbH in 1989 in his brother’s garage, the footballers of FSV Hollenbach were the first team to play in JAKO strips. Bayer 04 Leverkusen with the first team to wear the brand in the UEFA Champions League last season. Würzburger Kickers are not just regional neighbours for JAKO but also the club where Sprügel played in the second Bundesliga South division in 1977/78.
‘JAKO Land’ on the artificial pitch opens its gates at 15.30 CET. Children are warmly welcome to make full use of the sports games available. Adults can enjoy a cool evening drink at one of the many catering stands. Due to safety considerations, bags are not permitted on the sports ground. In addition to the main entrance there is also another gate on the south side of the ground. Parking is available at the companies ebm-papst and JAKO.
Entrance is free for children under the age of 13. Children aged from 14 to 17, students, senior citizens and women are entitled to the concession tickets for €5 and the adult price is €10. Tickets are available from Monday 26 June online www.jako.de and from local ticket outlets.
Friendly at SV Sandhausen
Bayer 04's friendly at second division SV Sandhausen will be played at the BWT Stadion am Hardtwald on 23 July with a 14.30 CET kick-off. Sandhausen have been in the second division since the 2012/13 season and they finished in tenth place last term. SVS players Leart Paqarada, Erik Zenga and Richard Sukuta-Pasu started their careers at Bayer 04.
Following the match, Bayer 04 will head straight to the training camp in Zell am See/Kaprun where they will prepare for the new campaign for the fifth time in succession.
After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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Ernest Poku is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play in the Turkish Süper Lig. The club has loaned the Dutch winger to Beşiktaş for one year. If certain criteria are met, the Istanbul club – who finished fourth in the Turkish top flight last season – will be obliged to make the move permanent.
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