Beaming faces everywhere: That sums up the atmosphere under the Bayer Cross after the 4-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. No surprise for Gerardo Seoane as "results always influence the mood although the atmosphere in training was always good last week." The Swiss boss is now hoping the taste of success will contribute to his team coming together even more. "We want to continue growing together."
Two players who currently are only able to help with this process in the dressing room are Karim Bellarabi and Lucas Alario. Following their muscle injuries, they completed individual sessions on the training ground on Tuesday but both are close to making a return to full training according to Seoane. "Lucas will probably join full training this week," said the head coach. But he is not an option for the game on Saturday, 28 August (kick-off: 15.30 CET). Seoane added: "It will probably take a week longer with Karim. Both should be available again after the international break."
Four players were missing from training on Tuesday. Jonathan Tah and Joel Pohjanpalo complained of slight cold symptoms and were absent from the training ground as were Julian Baumgartlinger and Moussa Diaby. The Frenchman took a kick on the knee and is set to rejoin full training tomorrow; Julian Baumgartlinger has an inflamed knee. The next few days will show when the Austria captain will be able to train again.
After the impressive performances in Leipzig and at Union Berlin, Kerem Demirbay also shone in the first home game of the season against Borussia Mönchengladbach. "Of course, it's to our benefit that he is so full of running as our number 10," was the assessment of Gerardo Seoane who not only praises Demirbay for his attacking endeavour: "It's always good if you have a player who also works well in defence and thereby provides additional support to the team." Our number 10 impressed in his game going forward above all with the enormous quality of his passes and a special awareness of space. The whole package is also due to Demirbay's good pre-season. "He has invested a lot and is therefore in very good condition," said Seoane.
In that respect, Florian Wirtz is not yet as well advanced after playing in the U21 European Championships in the summer and then only able to do reduced training due to problems with his lower back. "We'll have to see how he deals with the increased workload. The most important thing is he doesn't have any other problems," stressed the Werkself head coach. "I prefer it if a player makes a short appearance but can play with high intensity in his minutes on the pitch and show commitment. He is currently not yet ready for 90 minutes."
Empty stands due to the coronavirus pandemic have a lead to total losses of two billion euros for clubs in the top five leagues in Europe. Those findings come from a report from the accountants KPMG. In addition to the Bundesliga, the analysis also considered the Premier League (England), Serie A (Italy), Ligue 1 (France) and La Liga (Spain). In the 2019/20 season, with crowds at games up to March, the losses were 500 million euros. The losses in the Bundesliga at that time were estimated at 157 million euros more than the other four leagues.
So far this season, only the Premier League and Ligue 1 games are being played in front of full stands. The crowd limit in Spain is currently 40 percent and in Italy it is 50 percent. In Germany there is a maximum limit of 25,000 fans. But that could soon change. Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn has given Bundesliga clubs hope for fuller stadiums in relation to the attendance question. "I think you can do one thing: With the number of spectators, you can treat the vaccinated and recovered differently from the tested. Without doubt, significantly more vaccinated and recovered people can be in a stadium – albeit in the open air – as spectators than is currently possible," said Spahn to the Bild Zeitung.
Pure emotion at the first home game of the season with over 15,000 spectators. Bayer 04 TV brings highlights of the action-packed Bundesliga match between the Werkself and Borussia Mönchengladbach. From this season, highlights of games will be available on bayer04.de from the Tuesday after the fixture and all match reports from this season are available in the archive.
Today sees Bayer 04 go head-to-head with their next direct rivals in the race for Champions League qualification (kick-off 15:30 CEST). Opponents Stuttgart are currently fifth in the table, level on points with the Werkself but one place below them due to a three-goal inferior goal difference. The Black and Reds' record at Bad Cannstatt tells a clearer story: they've not lost at VfB for over 16 years. One important factor in securing what would be three crucial points away from home is Leverkusen's strength on the counter-attack. Whilst Stuttgart are also extremely dangerous going forward, they will be without their captain. Today’s matchday news.
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Another showdown in the race for the Champions League places takes place in Swabia: on Saturday 9 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), the Werkself visit VfB Stuttgart, who are only behind on goal difference. In his pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about confidence, excitement and mentality.
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Reinforcement in attack: Bayer 04 Leverkusen have secured the transfer of striker Maja Sternad from Bundesliga rivals SV Werder Bremen. The 22-year-old has signed a contract until 30 June 2028.
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It's a thrilling situation: as the season draws to a close, Stuttgart and Bayer 04 are heading into the home stretch almost neck and neck. After 32 games, with 17 wins, seven draws and eight defeats each, both teams are on 58 points. Even in terms of goals scored, VfB and the Werkself are level on 66. The Black and Reds have conceded just three fewer goals (43) than their rivals (46), which is why they sit one place behind fourth-placed Leverkusen. This Saturday, 9 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), the two teams go head to head at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with full-back Arthur ahead of schedule. The Werkself have agreed a new deal with the Brazilian to 30 June 2031. The 23-year-old was previously under contract to the summer of 2028.
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