At the pre-match press conference, the Covid-19 infection of Edmond Tapsoba was also under discussion. “It’s hit us now...,” said a somewhat deflated Bosz. “The doc called me last night. Edmond was surprised by the result of the test. But he feels alright so far.” The relevant local health authority will determine how long the 21-year-old will have to spend in self-isolation. “If he remains free of symptoms then he might be able to keep fit at home. Our fitness coaches are discussing it with him,” Bosz added.
In addition to Tapsoba, the Werkself will again have to manage without long-term absentees Paulinho, Santiago Arias and Exequiel Palacios, who suffered a serious back injury playing for Argentina, for the game against Bielefeld. And the skipper Charles Aránguiz is also unavailable due to an Achilles problem and the Chilean is still currently training on his own. There is good news about Patrik Schick. The 24-year-old has been in full training all week. Subject to the final pre-match training session, Bosz is hoping Schick can return to the squad.
In spite of the coronavirus case and the long injury list: “We have to accept the situation as it is. Now we have to focus on Bielefeld and get a good result. Bielefeld are a good team. They started well in the league but then had problems. We’re obviously going there to win the game.” The coach would like to see his team play with same energy against Arminia as they did against Gladbach. “It won’t be easy against a more defensive team but we’ll have to find the right answers. How the game develops will mainly depend on us.”
It has been a few years since the last Bundesliga fixture between the Werkself and Arminia: That match in May 2009 in Leverkusen ended in a 2-2 draw. And a look at the stats reveals the newcomers have been tough opponents for the Werkself in the past. In the previous 28 Bundesliga meetings, Bayer 04 have won ten, drawn ten and lost eight times. The most recent results clearly favour the Werkself. While the Peter Bosz team (four wins, three draws) and VfL Wolfsburg are the only unbeaten sides in the current Bundesliga campaign , Bielefeld have lost all of their last five games. But Bosz believes: “They will have used the international break well. They will try to make life difficult for us.”
Match information:
Broadcasters: Sky, Werks11 Radio
Referee: Will be announced on the day of the game
The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').
Show more
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
Show more
During the first international break of the 2026/27 season, set to last just under three weeks, nine Bayer 04 first-team players are in action with their respective national teams. Read on for updates on matches featuring Werkself players…
Show more
Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
Show more
