The hosts are playing their final friendly before they kick off their Bundesliga 2 campaign at SV Darmstadt 98 next Saturday, 2 August. It's been an intensive four weeks for the team who were related from the top flight last term. The squad reported back to work at the end of June and have since played six friendlies, losing none of them. Four of those came during VfL's training camp in Scheffau, Austria, with a 1-1 draw against Czech runners-up Viktoria Plzen, a 3-2 win over SV Waldhof Mannheim, a 5-4 success against Young Boys of Switzerland and a 0-0 draw against Metalist 1925 Kharkiv from Ukraine.
Dieter Hecking's team have undergone a revamp over the summer, with nine new signings so far. Many of them are younger player, including a familiar face in Francis Onyeka, who has been loaned from Bayer 04 to Bochum for the season. Further transfer activity cannot be ruled out, according to the media.
Coach Hecking is feeling positive: "On the whole we've had a decent pre-season. Other than Erhan Masovic and Moritz Kwarteng, we've not had any more injuries, which also helps. Every team needs a spine. Nevertheless, the new boys are providing a lot of impetus and the 'older' players are going along with that. There's a healthy competition for places, which I like." However, the veteran tactician also stressed: "When we play with a back four, I'm still not entirely happy with how we're defending. We've still got work to do there before the Leverkusen game."
The Werkself will be supported by 1,400 fans at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. Tickets are still available on the gate, priced at €20 for seating and €12 for standing.
Today's friendly also follows Bochum's blue-and-white family day from 12-17:00. In addition to food and drinks, there will also be various fun and games in the car park at the VfL offices: from bouncy castles and an interactive goal wall to a soccer court, face painting and robot goalkeepers, there will be something for the little ones, the not-so-little ones and the grown-ups.
The match will be broadcast live on Werkself-TV. Coverage begins 10 minutes before kick-off, with commentary in German from Niko Hartmann. As ever, there'll be live score updates on bayer04.de and the Bayer 04 app.
For many young people, football is an important part of their lives, it inspires and offers a sense of identification. Players are role models and the clubs embody social commitment. The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the state's Bundesliga football clubs, including Bayer 04, are using this appeal to inform young people about career guidance programmes and to create offers that give them guidance and also support them in making a smooth transition from school education to practical training. After a successful first year, the commitment is now continuing - among other things with joint online and offline communication under the umbrella brand "Heimspiel Zukunft".
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