The Green and Whites have contested five pre-season friendlies so far, beating Austria Salzburg 5-1 and Saudi-Arabian club Al-Ittihad with ex-Werkself pro Moussa Diaby 4-1. They lost against Premier League clubs Liverpool (1-0) and Manchester United (3-2) in the context of a tour to the USA and were held to a goalless draw by Spanish second-tier side Cadiz last Wednesday.
Real Betis finished in seventh place in the last La Liga campaign to qualify for the UEFA Conference League. They lost the decisive match for sixth place at home to Real Sociedad San Sebastian 2-0 on the second-to-last matchday. The storied club have established themselves among Spain’s top seven teams since coach Luis Pellegrini took over in August 2020.
Betis enjoyed their most successful season under the Chilean in 2021/22, when they finished fifth. They beat Valencia in the Spanish Cup final that season to win the Copa del Rey for the third time in their history and encountered Bayer 04 for the first time. The Europa League group match in Sevilla ended in a 1-1 draw before the Werkself won 4-0 thanks to goals by Diaby (2), Florian Wirtz and Nadiem Amiri in Leverkusen. Real Betis, whose most prominent honorary members are Spanish King Felipe and his father Juan Carlos, finished in second place behind Bayer 04 and were eliminated by Eintracht Frankfurt, who went on to win the competition, in the last sixteen (2-1, 1-1 AET).
Sevilla is the 13th position in Pellegrini’s career as a coach. The 70-year-old coached Spanish sides Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga from 2004 to 2013. He was in charge of Manchester City from 2013 to 2016, winning the Premier League in 2014 and the League Cup in 2014 and 2016. Pellegrini coached West Ham United before joining Real Betis.
Needless to say, there have been a number of changes in Sevilla’s personnel since their first encounter with the Werkself. Goalkeeping legend Claudio Bravo, who has made 150 appearances for Chile, left the club this summer. The 41-year-old had played in seven league matches in Betis colours last season. Portuguese netminder Rui Silva is Sevilla’s number one now.
Betis signed 31-year-old defender Ricardo Rodriguez just a few days ago. Rodriguez, who is Granit Xhaka’s Switzerland teammate, joined from FC Turin and is known in the Bundesliga from his time at VfL Wolfsburg (2012-2017). Two further experienced new signings are expected to strengthen Betis’ defence: 30-year-old centre-back Diego Llorente joined from Leeds United after a two-year loan spell at AS Roma. 26-year-old left-back Romain Perraud joined from Southampton. In addition, Real Betis have signed Marc Roca, who played for them on loan last season. The 27-year-old had played for FC Bayern from 2020 to 2022 before joining Leeds United.
Forward Borja Iglesias, who played for Bayer 04 on loan in the first half of 2024, has left Sevilla to join fellow La Liga side Celta Vigo on loan. Willian José, who was Betis’ most prolific striker on ten goals last season, joined Spartak Moscow this summer. Besides, two seasoned defenders have left Sevilla. 33-year-old Argentinian Germán Pezzella returned to his home country to join River Plate. Former Dortmund pro Sokratis (36) hung up his boots this summer. Club legend Joaquin had finished his active career at the age of 41 in the summer of 2023. The former forward boasts 622 La Liga appearances, a joint record along with goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta.
Captain Nabil Fekir and former Real Madrid player Isco are among Betis’ leaders. The latter will miss the match at the BayArena with a fibula fracture.
Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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