…his substitution due to injury in the home game against SC Freiburg (1-2): Fortunately, I haven't got any major pain. It's not serious. It will all be back to normal in a couple of days.
…the moment he first heard Bayer 04 were interested in him: I was shocked. (He laughs) I came from nowhere and didn't even have 18 months of professional football behind me. And now I'm here and I can play for a top club in the Bundesliga. It feels great!
…the reasons for his move to Leverkusen: The Bundesliga is one of the best leagues in the world and is a great challenge for me. This move to Bayer 04 is exactly right for my development. The management at Leverkusen have lots of confidence in young players as we've seen so often in the past.
…his start at Bayer 04 and targets with the Werkself: It was very exciting for me to move to Germany. I've settled in now and I’m enjoying it here. Of course, the results on the pitch have been disappointing. But we are responsible for that ourselves and we're aware of it. We have to look forwards and work our way back game by game. The target in the Bundesliga is and remains qualification for the Champions League and that means finishing in the top four. That's what we’re aiming for.
…clashes with top strikers such as World Player of the Year Robert Lewandowski or Erling Haaland: I always want to play against the best players in the world and show what I can do. I work hard on my game every day and I’m benefiting from the high level in training.
…the importance of Neil Lennon who gave him his first chances as a professional footballer at Celtic following his move from the Manchester City EDS team in the autumn of 2019: I was surprised when I heard about his resignation a few days ago. He's a great personality and has always given everything for the club. I will always have a special memory of him because he gave me my first chance in professional football. He supported me and gave me advice. I'll always be grateful to him for that.
It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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Werkself TV shows highlights of the 2-0 win at Olympiacos in the first leg of the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league...
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The Werkself beat Olympiacos 2-0 in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off first leg to claim a crucial victory in the Greek capital. After a focused first-half display with a number of presentable chances, Patrik Schick crowned a textbook counter to hand the Werkself the lead on the hour (60’). The Czech rounded off his brace when he headed in from a corner just 144 seconds later. Bayer 04 maintained their lead with aplomb to achieve a good position for the return leg in Leverkusen.
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Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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