"Enjoy today, recover tomorrow, then we carry on," declared Xabi Alonso immediately after the 4-1 win at Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday night looking forward to the forthcoming clash with RB Leipzig, a "top team" in the Bundesliga. While Alonso's Werkself can look back at seven league matches without defeat in succession, the Leipzig team have won their last three matches and start in fourth place on Bundesliga matchday 29. The lead over Bayer 04, currently sixth in the table, is seven points.
The fact there is once again the chance of finishing in one of the top spots in the Bundesliga is down in part to the successful balancing act between league and European football. Alonso is not interested in prioritising one of the competitions: "The Bundesliga has exactly the same priority as the Europa League for us. We have been able to compete in both competitions to date. We want to go for it in the league and in Europe!"
The home game against Leipzig is the fifth match in the last 15 days for Lukas Hradecky and Co. However, Xabi Alonso does not see tiredness in his team after the busy period of fixtures: "If your mind is clear then it doesn't matter. We have to play with all our energy on Sunday and we need a top performance.
It remains to be seen if the Spaniard can call on Edmond Tapsoba and Exequiel Palacios for the game against RB Leipzig. Tapsoba was substituted on the hour mark in the quarter-final second leg. Alonso explained: "Eddy has some minor muscular problems. We wanted to rest him as he's an important player for us and we need him. We have important games coming up." Palacios did not travel to Belgium due to muscular problems. "There is a chance for Pala on Sunday but we have to take it day by day."
As in the game in Belgium, the Werkself can again count on the support from the stands in the important home match against Leipzig: 29,000 fans are expected at the BayArena and the home sections are sold out.
Video game producer Electronic Arts (EA) has announced the nominees for the Men's and Women's Team of the Year (TOTY) for EA Sports FC 26. With Patrik Schick and Alejandro Grimaldo for the men and Vanessa Fudalla for the women, there are three Bayer 04 players included. Fans of the Black-and-Reds can vote for each top XI of 2025 from now until 18:59 CET on Monday 12 January.
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The Werkself host FC St. Pauli at the BayArena on matchday 22 in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The match is on Saturday, 14 February, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself host Mainz at the BayArena on matchday 24 in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The match is on Saturday, 28 February, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The long-standing successful collaboration between Bayer 04 and the transport service provider wupsi GmbH has been expanded: From January 2026, 100 wupsi bikes with Bayer 04 branding will be available for hire throughout the city of Leverkusen. They will complement the many existing offers and services that provide key support, especially for fans travelling to and from home matches at the BayArena.
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