The era of Pavel Nedved, Milan Baros, Tomas Rosicky and Petr Cech in the Czech Republic team is long gone. And the great international successes such as European Championship runners-up in 1996 against Germany or the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 are also in the past. There has been a change of generations over recent years in the 'Reprezentace' (The Team). Werkself striker Patrik Schick is happy with the direction the team is taking: "When those players stopped playing for the national team, the lads were not yet ready for the task at hand. They just weren't experienced enough. But after four years of working together each and everyone has developed. Now we've got good quality in the team," the 25-year-old explained.
The Czechs will have to be on top of their game in every match as, after the opening match against Scotland, the Czech Republic face two genuine heavyweights in World Cup runners-up Croatia and World Cup semi-finalists England. However, Schick believes in his team's own abilities: "Of course, we’re in a difficult group but we played England in the qualifiers and beat them 2-1. So we have the experience of overcoming a strong team within top players."
The Prague-born striker is positive about the organisation and team spirit in the Czech Republic side. He believes it's very difficult to break down the Silhavy team due to the "many workers on the pitch." Schick is looking to help out the team with the abilities that make him stand out: "I want to score as many goals as possible to support the team on the pitch. Of course, I'd like to go through this difficult group with my team. If we do that then we'll all be happy," Schick declared with ambition.
With all the anticipation for the international tournament, the whole thing is a bit of a downer for Patrik Schick. A European Championship away from the times of the pandemic would probably have been better for the supporters of the 'Reprezentace' in terms of following their team across Europe. "I wish it were possible for every spectator to come to Euro 2020. Even if it would be 90% English and only 10% Czechs in the stadium, I would have been very happy with that. We play for the people, the fans," the striker said with regret. Nevertheless, Schick wants to be able to help fans celebrate at home in front of the TV...
HERE is the Euro 2020 interview with Aleksandar Dragovic.
HERE is the Euro 2020 interview with Lukas Hradecky.
Bayer 04 are away to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb on Matchday 5 of the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off on Thursday 26 November at 18:45 CET at the Maksimir Stadium. All the information on ticket sales.
Show more
It wasn’t just on the pitch that there was cause for celebration around the Werkself’s 2–1 home win against SC Freiburg. Plenty of happy faces could be seen near the dugouts at half-time too. Once again, CEO Fernando Carro, alongside former striker and club ambassador Stefan Kießling, paid tribute to eight supporters’ clubs celebrating up to their 30th anniversary on behalf of Bayer 04.
Show more
It was a match that will live long in the memory of everyone involved: The Bayer 04 U19s celebrated their seventh win in seven matches in the DFB Youth League preliminary round – and yet it was a very special victory indeed: in the 4–3 (1–1) win at VfL Bochum 1848, no fewer than five goals came in the final quarter of an hour. As the 90th minute approached, coach Patrick Greveraars’s side found themselves behind, but then fought back in true ‘Laterkusen’ style.
Show more
Under Carles Martínez, the Werkself have so far proved unbeatable at the BayArena. The Spaniard has led his team to victory in all three of their most recent home matches – and, it's worth noting, without conceding a single goal. On Sunday, 18 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST / live on DAZN and Werkself Radio), current league leaders SC Freiburg will make the trip to Leverkusen, but will be without their top scorer. What's more, the Werkself have won all three of their previous home matches against the Black Forest club. With a goal, Patrik Schick could not only secure a fourth consecutive victory but also set a memorable record. Meanwhile, on what will be the ‘Health Day' at the BayArena, much of the focus will be on physical wellbeing. Today's matchday news.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 7 of the 2026/27 Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
Show more
