"It felt really great," declared head coach Peter Bosz after the DFB Cup first round tie against Eintracht Norderstedt – and that not only reflected the 7-0 win for his team (click HERE for the highlights video on DFB.de). The Werkself were able to play in front of fans at the BayArena for the first time since the beginning of March. A total of 300 were seated in the West Stand – currently the upper limit permitted in stadiums in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The possibility that the number could be increased for the Bundesliga season opener at the weekend – Bayer 04 kick off at Wolfsburg on Sunday, 20 September (kick-off: 18.00 CET) – was suggested by NRW Minister President Amin Laschet last Friday after a virtual sports summit with representatives of different sports clubs. "It could be a few thousand in football stadiums," declared the 59-year-old. The CDU politician added that the corona virus protection order "was up for discussion and possible amendment at a meeting of the state cabinet on Tuesday." Laschet added that the percentage of spectators allowed would be decided by the local public health authorities based on hygiene policies.
A day before the opening game of the season against Norderstedt, Bayer 04 prepared the fans for the start of campaign last Saturday via digital means. The 'Digital kick off 2020/21' was packed with 90 minutes of black and red entertainment. This included Fernando Carro, chairman of the board, and Thomas Eichin, head of the youth section, and many other guests reporting exclusively on the inner workings of the club. The 'Digital kick off 2020/21' is available to watch on the Bayer 04 YouTube channel. Click HERE for the video.
Patrick Helmes, at Leverkusen as a player from 2008 to January 2011, is the new interim coach at FC Admira Wacker Mödling. The former head coach Zvonimir Soldo offered to resign a few days ago for private reasons and the top-flight club agreed to the two parties going their separate ways. Helmes had been in charge of the youth side at the Austrian club and on Monday he led his first training session. The 36-year-old was a youth coach at Bayer 04 for two years before moving to Austria in the middle of July this year.
In addition to Helmes, another former Werkself player has recently taken on a new professional challenge: Dirk Lottner is now the coach of the Northeast Regional League side Energie Cottbus. Until December 2019, the 48-year-old was coach at FC Saarbrücken with the semi-final opponents for Bayer 04 in last year's DFB Cup competition. Lottner, who played for Leverkusen from 1997 to January 1999, is the successor to Sebastian Abt at Cottbus.
Italian teams are known for being strong in defence. The fact that Inter Milan, the next opponents for the Werkself in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 20.45 CET), have not conceded a single goal in their last five matches is impressive. Will the visitors' keeper Yann Sommer be able to keep a clean sheet at the BayArena against Florian Wirtz and Co.? The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 16. The game at the Signal Iduna Park on Friday, 10 January 2025, kicks off at 20.30 CET. Read on for information on ticket sales.
Show moreTwo champions go head-to-head: The Werkself entertain Inter Milan at the BayArena on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League. The game against the team from Lombardy is on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Head coach Xabi Alonso and defender Edmond Tapsoba revealed their keen anticipation ahead of the top match against the Italian champions at the pre-match press conference. In addition, the duo talked about the strengths of the visitors and the difference from playing teams in the Bundesliga.
Show moreThe fact the team led by head coach Xabi Alonso have learned from the draws against Holstein Kiel, Werder Bremen, VfL Bochum and VfB Stuttgart was demonstrated by the 2-1 win for the Werkself against FC St. Pauli on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to the victory against Hamburg side, Bayer 04 are now unbeaten in the last eleven Bundesliga matches (six wins, five draws) – only Bayern Munich are on a longer run at the moment. All of the last three matches have ended in victory. The Werkself review.
Show moreWerkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04’s 2-1 win against FC St. Pauli on the 13th matchday of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign…
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