At the press conference, Schmidt described Saturday's opponents VfL Wolfsburg as "a good team in the Bundesliga capable of qualifying for Europe. At the start of the season I thought they'd be up at the top straightaway. But that can happen in football: They didn't get off to a good start but after the change of coaches they will stand together in the home game. It's never easy at Wolfsburg. For us to win we have to show what we can do and play our game."
To achieve that, the Werkself will have to rediscover their strengths, play on the front foot and be focused in defence. "We are at our best when we play our game in a solid and intensive way. We'll do that tomorrow," announced Schmidt. The coach will not be on the bench due to his touchline ban. "I will definitely be in the stadium. I don't know exactly where as yet. Rudi Völler and Klaus Allofs are looking to find a solution."
Schmidt can perform his normal pre-match duties until just before the kick-off at 15.30 CET and the boss is keen to be as diligent as ever: "It's my job as coach to do my duty and help the team. In the 24 hours left I will prepare the team as best I can for the match. Then we’ll have a good chance of winning tomorrow's important game."
Schmidt said it remains to be seen whether key players Lars Bender and Ömer Toprak will be fit for the away game at the sixteenth-placed team: "It's not looking good and tending towards the negative at the moment. Lars Bender and Ömer Toprak have not trained with the team. Kevin Volland is suspended. Otherwise, everybody else is available."
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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