Sporting managing director Simon Rolfes stressed after the cup defeat in Bielefeld: "We'll now work even harder so we're ready if we get the chance to win the Bundesliga." And captain Lukas Hradecky stressed after the semi-final: "Anger and disappointment are emotions that can and must be turned into good energy." With that energy, the team now head into the Bundesliga run-in, where they currently trail league leaders Bayern Munich by six points with 21 points still up for grabs.
The Werkself play the first of their seven remaining league games this Saturday, 5 April (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), at 1. FC Heidenheim 1846. Every league game in April at a glance:
Monday 14 April also marks the first anniversary of the day on which the Werkself clinched the first German championship in Bayer 04's history in impressive fashion last year. On that date, the Black and Red championship celebrations began with a 5-0 home win against SV Werder Bremen - "German champions SVB!"
Bayer 04 Women have two of their four remaining Bundesliga matchdays in April. With a haul of 36 points, it's already clear that coach Roberto Pätzold's side are enjoying their best Bundesliga season in the club's history. If they're going to be able to attack the top three in the run-in, the Werkself must pick up more wins.
First, Leverkusen Women face 1. FC Köln in a derby at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Monday, 14 April (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) to wrap up Matchday 19 (get your tickets!). Just under two weeks later, the team then travel to bottom-of-the-table 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam. On Friday 25 April (kick-off: 18.30 CEST) at the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion, they'll be looking to pick up another three important points.
Thanks to a convincing last-minute win in the top match against VfL Bochum 1848, the U19s are guaranteed a place in the knockout phase of the battle for the German championship. The top four teams in each group advance to the round of 16. Leverkusen can only lose out on a place in the top two of main round Group C in the DFB Youth League if they lose two of their own matches and Eintracht Frankfurt, who are currently in second place, win twice.
Should Bayer 04 finish first or second, the round of 16 (without a second leg) would take place on the weekend of 26/27 April in Leverkusen. Possible opponents from group D are Leipzig, Karlsruhe, Dortmund, Mainz and Unterhaching. In this case, the final in mid-May would also be played in Leverkusen, provided the Black & Reds are represented in it.
After narrowly losing the final of the German Club Championship, the Bayer 04 eSports players will compete in the German Individual Championship in April. The first step on the way to the title for the #B04eSportsmen including Sean and Marc Landwehr and Markus Hüttemann is a successful performance at the VBL Grand Open by WOW on 5 and 6 April.
Were they to succeed, the Leverkusen team would move on to the Group Stage of the VBL Grand Final by WOW from 15 to 17 April. The finals of the championship would then be on 26 and 27 April.
With two matchdays to go, the Bayer Giants basketball team are already in first place in the ProB Nord (3rd division), so the Bayer basketball players will take part in the play-offs for the championship. These start with the round of 16, in which game 1 will be played on Saturday, 19 April, in the Ostermann Arena in Leverkusen. The round of 16 will be played in a best-of-three format.
Bosnia U19 international Kerim Alajbegovic is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen's youth set-up to Red Bull Salzburg. The talented attacking midfielder has signed a long-term contract with the Austrian club. At the same time, the works club secured a buy-back option for the 17-year-old, who was one of the mainstays of the Leverkusen U19s.
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The Werkself are away to Premier League club Chelsea in the final pre-season friendly. The game against the current holders of the UEFA Conference League is on Friday, 8 August at Stamford Bridge with the kick-off at 20:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself are away to Dutch top-flight club Fortuna Sittard in the third pre-season friendly. The match is on Friday, 1 August at the Fortuna Sittard stadium with the kick-off at 19:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself are away to VfL Bochum in the second pre-season friendly. The match is on Sunday, 27 July at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion with the kick-off at 18:00 CEST. Read on for the latest information on ticket sales.
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