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.
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 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.
Construction work continues on the ‘Haus der Talente’ on Kurtekottenweg in Leverkusen, where 36 young elite athletes will find a new home from next summer. The building team from Temmink Bau, led by Thomas Wellers, are hard at work. Over the past few days, excavators, wheeled loaders and rollers have removed 2,500 cubic metres of soil to excavate the basement.
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Special events for a special match: Bayer 04 are offering fans a varied programme of events at tonight’s home game in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga against German champions Bayern Munich (kick-off: 18:00 CEST). Alongside a number of interactive activities, events to mark the DFB Sustainability matchday are also planned around the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Read on in the matchday news ahead of the clash with FC Bayern.
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Once again, two Fritz Walter Gold Medals are heading to Leverkusen: Bayer 04 new signing Kennet Eichhorn and Francis Onyeka, a product of the Werkself youth set-up, currently on loan at SV Elversberg, were honoured for their performances during the 2025/26 season. The DFB announced the awards on Monday, 14 September. The Fritz Walter Medal is the most prestigious individual award in German youth football.
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Following two close encounters against VfL Wolfsburg and away to TSG Hoffenheim, the Bayer 04 Women face another top side on Monday night. The Werkself host German double winners Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 18:00 CEST to round off matchday 4 in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is counting on another spirited performance from his team.
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