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
Just in time for the start of the school year, everyone was hard at work again at NaturGut Ophoven. For the 21st time, Bayer 04 have supported the annual ‘BioBrotbox’ campaign, which puts together a healthy breakfast for first-year primary school pupils in Leverkusen – and not only contributed 1,904 muesli bars but also plenty of enthusiasm too: Together with the U19 players Burak Kir and Clinton Wilson, Emily Wallrabenstein and Paulina Platner from the Women’s Bundesliga team helped with the packing. The latter was clearly delighted “that Bayer 04 are helping out with regional projects like this and showing their commitment to the local community”.
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A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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