
… 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.

The penultimate Bundesliga matchday of the calendar year marks the end of an eventful first half of the season for the Bayer 04 Women. After seven wins, one draw and four defeats from the first twelve games of the season, coach Roberto Pätzold's team can go above Werder Bremen in the table with a win on Friday, 12 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET).
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The third showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26 kicks off for the Leverkusen eSports team this Thursday, 11 December (live on the B04eSports Twitch channel from 19:00 CET). In the online preliminary round, the Black and Red will once again take on six previously drawn opponents for a place in the Top 16 and the associated entry into the offline knockout round, which will take place at this third showdown on 19 December in Cologne. Showdown One winners Bayer 04 will face FC St. Pauli, who won the second showdown last month, among others. The lowdown on first three opponents in this online preliminary round.
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Alejandro Grimaldo, of course! With his late equaliser (88') in the Champions League clash against Newcastle United, the Spaniard rescued a point for the Werkself, who took the lead through an own goal by Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes (13') but went with two goals for the visitors scored by Anthony Gordon (51') and Lewis Miley (74'). It was the third draw for Bayer 04 in the current 2025/26 campaign on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase.
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The Werkself will be looking to continue their run in the Champions League against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The two victories without conceding a goal at Benfica (1:0) and Manchester City (2-0) will hopefully be followed by a win at home at the BayArena. Against the English side, who have a player with a Black and Red past in their ranks, the way to victory could be through efficiency in attack and quick transitional play. The latter in particular has recently caused the Magpies problems away from home on the European stage. Fans can also get the stylish matchday sticker for their Sound of Dreams tour pass at the Bayer 04 Fanwelt. The matchday news.
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For the first time ever, Bayer 04 have reached the knockout phase of the UEFA Youth League. At the end of the league phase, the Leverkusen U19s secured a 2-1 home win against Newcastle United on Wednesday, 10 December. Montrell Culbreath scored before half-time and Ferdinand Pohl doubled the lead after the restart in the clash with the English side. The UCL youth competition continues at the beginning of February with the Round of 32, which will be played away from home without a second leg.
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