Chelsea just took up preparations for the new season this week. After the 3-0 victory in the Club World Cup final against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in mid-July, Enzo Maresca’s team enjoyed a three-week holiday. The clash with the Werkself is the first friendly for the Blues.
The side from west London will not have much time for more matches as the Premier League campaign starts next weekend. Chelsea contest their second and final friendly the day after tomorrow, when they take on AC Milan at Stamford Bridge. Their first league clash will be staged on 17 August, when Chelsea entertain south London rivals Crystal Palace.
Bayer 04 and Chelsea have only faced off twice so far. The Werkself won 2-1 at the BayArena in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2011/12, when Chelsea went on to win Europe’s premier club competition. The London side won the return fixture 2-0. Players like Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry were in action for Chelsea back then, with the likes of Michael Ballack, André Schürrle, Renato Augusto and Simon Rolfes, today’s managing director for sport, featuring for the Black and Reds.
About 350 fans will travel to England to support the Werkself at Stamford Bridge. The Bayer 04 Fan Liaison has compiled all the relevant info for the fans as usual. Click here for the Fan Information!
Just in time for the start of the school year, everyone was hard at work again at NaturGut Ophoven. For the 21st time, Bayer 04 have supported the annual ‘BioBrotbox’ campaign, which puts together a healthy breakfast for first-year primary school pupils in Leverkusen – and not only contributed 1,904 muesli bars but also plenty of enthusiasm too: Together with the U19 players Burak Kir and Clinton Wilson, Emily Wallrabenstein and Paulina Platner from the Women’s Bundesliga team helped with the packing. The latter was clearly delighted “that Bayer 04 are helping out with regional projects like this and showing their commitment to the local community”.
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A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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