The first round of the DFB Cup will be drawn on Sunday 26 July from 18.30 CET. As announced by ARD on Tuesday, the channel will broadcast the draw live on the ‘Sportschau’. There will be a number of unknown quantities in the draw as the cup competitions of the state associations were not completed due to the break enforced by the coronavirus pandemic.
The finals of the state cups will be played on 22 August at an amateurs finals day (from 14.30 CET/live on ARD). The first round ties in the DFB Cup will be played between 11 and 14 September, a week before the start of the Bundesliga.
The first leg of the Round of 16 tie for Bayer 04 at Glasgow Rangers (3-1) was – in contrast to the Werkself – the last competitive match for the Scottish side up to now. The Scottish Premier League was abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic and Rangers finished in second place. Steven Gerrard recalled his players in the middle of July. Rangers are not just preparing for the Europa League second leg match at the BayArena on 6 August (kick-off: 18.55 CET) but also for the new league season that starts a few days earlier.
Rangers have already played two friendlies ahead of the opening fixture away to Aberdeen on 1 August. The Scots played in Lyon against Olympique and Nice. Gerrard’s team won both games 2-0. Ianis Hagi netted a brace against Lyon; the goals against Nice were scored by Jermain Defoe and Jamie Barjonas. Both games were played in front of a limited number of supporters who maintained social distancing guidelines in the stands. Rangers have another two friendlies planned in the next few days.
If the Werkself are in the quarter-finals after the Round of 16 second leg against Rangers then they would face the winners of match between Inter Milan and Getafe, in Düsseldorf on 10 August (kick-off: 21.00 CET). While the Italians are still involved in Serie A until the August, Getafe completed their league fixtures on Sunday 19 July.
On the final matchday, the team coached by Pepe Bordalás could have secured a place in the Europa League with a win at UD Levante – the team from Valencia were not playing for European qualification or to maintain their top-flight status. While the rivals from San Sebastián (1-1 at Atlético Madrid) and Granada (4-0 against Bilbao) picked up points, Getafe lost 1-0 to Levante and were out of the running for a place in Europe.
While Getafe failed to qualify for Europe via the league, their opponents from northern Italy have already qualified for the Champions League next season. With four games to play in Serie A, the team under coach Antonio Conte are in second place with a 14-point lead over fifth-placed AS Roma. Mathematically, Inter are still in with a chance of lifting the league title. However, that appears unlikely given the eight-point deficit to Juventus.
Two former Werkself players celebrated their birthdays on Wednesday: Central defender Ömer Toprak, who now plays for Werder Bremen, will be 31. Born in Ravensburg, he played for Bayer 04 from 2011 to 2017 making a total of 154 Bundesliga games for the Black and Reds. Andrej Voronin was at Bayer 04 for three years (2004 to 2007). The former player scored 32 goals for the Werkself in 92 Bundesliga games. The Ukrainian is 41 on Wednesday.
The current Bayer 04 defender Wendell celebrates his birthday a day earlier. The always cheerful Brazilian starts his seventh season with Bayer 04 in September and is 27 on Tuesday. Bayer 04 wish the trio: Many happy returns (belatedly)!
The highly successful and mutually appreciated partnership between Bayer 04 and head coach Xabi Alonso ends after two and a half years. The 43-year-old Spaniard has led the Werkself to three trophies. Above all, winning the first German league title in the club's history will always be associated with the name of Xabi Alonso. The former world class player, who won many hearts in Leverkusen as a person, now says farewell to Bayer 04. We look back at a fantastic time with the Basque who fulfilled the biggest dream of all Bayer 04 fans together with an outstanding team.
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A few weeks ago Borussia Dortmund were marooned in mid-table mediocrity in the Bundesliga. Then the Black and Yellows started a run that overcame all comers. And suddenly a Champions League spot was again within reach. BVB will be looking to take the next step towards the big target at the BayArena on Sunday, 11 May (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). Coach Niko Kovac has almost his full squad available. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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A cracker of a semi-final at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The Bayer 04 U19 team entertain Bayern Munich on Saturday, 10 May (kick-off: 11:00 CEST/stadium opens: 10:00 CEST). In front of a home crowd, the team led by head coach Sergi Runge, who welcomes back an attacking player, is looking to build on the battling performances from the previous knockout games and "perform at the right moment." Tickets are available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the game will also be broadcast live on Sky.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will be the first Bundesliga club to open and operate a football academy in Brazil. The "Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo," led by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sérgio, will be established on the Bayer Brazil campus in São Paulo and accommodate up to 300 children and youth ages 5 to 15.
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