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6.01.2023Bayer 04

Opener in 2023: Venezia with former Leverkusen player

The first friendly in 2023: The Werkself have their first game in the New Year on Saturday 7 January (kick-off: 15.00 CET). The opponents at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium are Venezia. The team led by head coach Xabi Alonso will not face a famous club in the 1941 Italian cup winners but will encounter a familiar face: former Werkself player Joel Pohjanpalo.
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The former Bayer 04 player was with the Black and Reds for nine years before moving from Leverkusen to Venice ahead of the current 2022/23 season. In the current campaign in the Italian second division, the centre forward has scored seven goals and provided four assists to date. That makes the 28-year-old the top striker and best provider for FCV. In the 2-2 draw against Parma on Boxing Day, the Finland international scored to make it 2-1 (70') and eight minutes later laid on the assist for the equaliser scored by teammate Nicolas Pierini.

goalkeeper Duo from Finland

Bayer 04 keeper Lukas Hradecky will meet two other finish fellow countrymen in addition to Pohjanpalo on Saturday in the Venezia goalkeeper duo of Jesse Joronen and Niki Mäenpää. Also in the Venezia squad: Michaël Cuisance. The French midfielder move from Bayern Munich to Italy in the winter of last year.

The Black and Greens have been coached by Paolo Vanoli since November of last year. The 50-year-old was working as a technical coach for the Italy team and was previously assistant coach to Antonio Conte at Chelsea between 2017 and 2018.

Following relegation from Serie A last season, Pohjanpalo and Co. are currently seventeenth in Serie B. The friendly against the Alonso team provides a warm-up ahead of the return to league action on Monday 16 January. The opponents then are third-placed Genoa CFC, the former club of Bayer 04 player Nadiem Amiri.

Tickets and Live stream

Tickets are still available for the match against the ‘Leoni Alati’ (‘The Winged Lions’). Match tickets are available HERE.

Bayer 04 will broadcast the game against the club from Italy live on Werkself TV and YouTube. Niko Hartmann will provide live commentary for Werkself Radio.

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