"It was purely a preventative measure as Karim received a knock to his pelvis in the game. We wanted to see how he would get on after two days off," said the Swiss coach.
Bellarabi made it 2-0 for the Werkself on Saturday – that was his 57th goal for the Black and Reds. That puts the winger eighth in the all-time list of goalscorers for Bayer 04. The 31-year-old has been under the Bayer Cross since 2011 – with the exception of a loan spell at Eintracht Braunschweig in 2013/14.
"Karim brings a lot of energy to the team," Seoane made clear to the media after the Tuesday afternoon training session. In addition to his physicality and dynamism on the pitch, "he above all helps the team with his experience. He plays efficiently, and finds the right space as with his goal at the weekend." The Werkself number 38 has played an important role in recent years and influences the team with his positive approach.
According to the 43-year-old coach, Bellarabi's qualities will be of great importance in the coming weeks if the Werkself are to be in the running to qualify for the Champions League in the Bundesliga run-in: "Karim has already played for us in the champions league and it was in the DFB Cup semi-final. So, he knows how to deal with the club's ambitions. That helps us."
Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), has announced the six nominees for the February 2026 Bundesliga Player of the Month award. Not one, but two Werkself players are on the list in Edmond Tapsoba and Alejandro Grimaldo. Supporters of the Black-and-Reds have from now until midnight on Sunday 8 March to vote!
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The German Football League (DFL) has announced the three candidates for Bundesliga ‘Rookie of the Month’ for February. Among the candidates is Werkself player Jarell Quansah. Fans of Bayer 04 can vote for their favourite on the Bundesliga app from now until Thursday, 5 March (23:59 CET).
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without Brazilian player Arthur for the next few weeks. The full-back tore a ligament in his left ankle in yesterday's Bundesliga match against Mainz 05 (1-1).
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On a day that celebrated 50 years of official Bayer 04 fan clubs with festivities on the pitch during the match against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday, New York-based Werkself Warriors were proudly represented on the field by co-founder Alex Kramm.
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