
… his current daily training routine: I don't see a problem with the training sessions changed by hygiene measures. For us, it's primarily and, above all, for the outfield players about keeping fit and staying on top of your form. You can practice shooting in small groups as well. Work on tactics is mainly missing but I get on with the players in front of me so well that everybody will soon get back into the swing of things.
… goalkeeper Lennart Grill signed from FC Kaiserslautern: I'm looking forward to working with him. I've already seen quite a lot of him and he's a talented keeper. Of course, young and new players always want to be on the pitch. But it's exactly the same with me although I'm a bit older. At the end of the day, new competition always gives me an additional boost. And we goalkeepers work together in training as a group – so everybody benefits from it.
… the suspension of play due to the coronavirus pandemic: If I put the summer breaks to one side, then I've never had such a long time without playing. The whole thing is new to me and to us all. I'll be interested to see how the teams are after this time and I hope that we can get quickly back to the good form we had before the break.
…the postponement of his first European Championship with Finland by one year to 2021: I hope I can stay free of injury until then. Otherwise, I am relaxed about it. And, above all, I'd be happy to see spectators back in the grounds.

Bayern Munich come to the BayArena this Saturday with an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga as they look to take a step closer to the title. As imperious as they may seem, a weakness has emerged of late that the Werkself proved they can exploit in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League. Leverkusen are also looking to make it four Bundesliga home games unbeaten against the Bavarians. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the 15:30 CET kick-off in our matchday news.
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Another home game, another top opponent - another marker? Three days after their convincing performance in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, Bayer 04 continue their Bundesliga campaign with an equally high-calibre fixture. Matchday 26 sees league leaders Bayern Munich visit the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about a comparison between Arsenal and the Bavarians, Bayern's high-scoring performance in Europe's premier club competition and a return to the squad for one Werkself player.
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High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
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The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
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They're well on their way to becoming German champions for the 35th time and once again proved their incredible class in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. This Saturday, 14 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET), Bayern Munich will be the visitors to the BayArena. It'll be a meeting of the two Bundesliga teams with the most dominant styles of play. A look at our opponents shows the visitors from the Bavarian capital have many strengths - but are also vulnerable.
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