"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."
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against SGS Essen on the 11th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Following the international break, Bayer 04 are away to VfL Wolfsburg on Bundesliga matchday 11 in 2025/26, on Saturday, 22 November (kick-off: 15:30 CET) in the first of eight matches between now and Christmas. Ahead of the game at the Volkswagen Arena, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the Wolves, the reunion with some familiar faces and the latest updates on his own squad.
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VfL Wolfsburg are looking for a fresh start after parting company with head coach Paul Simonis and sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz during the recent international break. The Wolves are looking to kick off their revival this Saturday, 22 November (kick-off: 15:30 CET), in the home game against the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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His loss has left Bayer 04 deeply saddened: Dieter Herzog, World Cup winner in 1974 and seven years playing for Bayer 04, passed away this week at the age of 79.
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A week after the disappointing DFB Pokal exit at Hamburger SV, the Bayer 04 Women return to league action. In a home match against SGS Essen on Saturday, 22 November (kick-off: 14:00 CET at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium), coach Roberto Pätzold's team will be fighting to maintain a good position in the chasing pack in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
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