The first training session of the new week primarily focused on running and fitness drills – both outside the stadium as well as in the basement of the BayArena. The whole thing took place without head coach Gerardo Seoane – and that was due to a professional reason.
The 43-year-old was in Zürich to take part in a compulsory further training session organised by the Swiss Football Association. Also there alongside the Swiss football coaches was the Switzerland national coach Murat Yakin as well as the Germany coach Hansi Flick.
The bank holiday on 1 November saw the Werkself players involved in an internal Media Day after the morning session. Following the training session, Lukas Hradecky and Co. had a number of stops in the interior of the BayArena. The outcome: new YouTube formats, international contributions, photos and social media challenges. All that will be available to watch over the coming weeks on the club's media channels but we can give you a sneak preview now.
The next match for the Werkself and Gerardo Seoane is against Real Betis. The clash at the BayArena on Thursday, 4 November (kick-off: 21.00 CET – stadium opens: 19.00 CET) sees first play second in Group G. As announced on Tuesday, #B04BETIS will be live on free to air TV on RTL. Marco Hagemann and Steffen Freund are on the broadcast.
Following the brilliant Round of 16 victory against TSG Hoffenheim (7-6 on penalties), the Bayer 04 Women's team will again be focused on the DFB Cup on Sunday evening. Anna Klink and Co. will discover their opponents in the last eight from 18.30 CET. Sky will broadcast the draw live on Sky Sport Bundesliga 1 and it will also be available as a free stream on skysport.de and on the Sky Sport app.
The potential opponents: Bayern Munich, VfL Wolfsburg, FFC Turbine Potsdam, SGS Essen, SC Sand, Carl Zeiss Jena, SV Henstedt-Ulzburg..
People present at the game still talk about a unique experience they will never forget: On 2 November 2016, five years ago today, Bayer 04 travelled to London. There was a Champions League away game at Tottenham Hotspur – albeit not at White Hart Lane but instead at Wembley Stadium. As the Spurs ground was being rebuilt at the time games on the European stage were moved to the biggest football stadium in Great Britain.
Exactly 85,512 spectators were in the ground on that Wednesday evening – the Werkself had never played in front of more fans before that. The visitors from Leverkusen won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kevin Kampl (65') and registered a first the victory on English soil.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career working as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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Fans at the BayArena got to enjoy a spectacle on Wednesday as the Werkself came from behind to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the DFB Pokal. Now with the sixth home game of the season, can Bayer 04 maintain their perfect record in Leverkusen as VfB Stuttgart come to town in the Bundesliga on Saturday (15:30 CET)? The visitors have had issues domestically this term, sitting in 15th place, although they have had much better results in the UEFA Champions League. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 8 encounter…
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Three days after the spectacular comeback in the DFB Pokal tie against FC Nürnberg (5–2), the Werkself face their next challenge in the Bundesliga. On Saturday, 31 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET), Bayer 04 host VfB Stuttgart, currently 15th in the table, at the BayArena. Ahead of the match, Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about important factors in preparing for this next game given a tight fixture list.
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Despite VfB Stuttgart performing well in the Champions League, they are facing a difficult spell early on in the Bundesliga. Three days after their last-minute victory in the DFB Pokal at SC Paderborn 07, the Swabians can now take to the pitch at the BayArena with greater confidence on Saturday, 31 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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