“Of course, two points after two games isn’t much but the opening fixtures were tough,” explained the Dutchman at the pre-match press conference. The opening match produced a 0-0 draw at VfL Wolfsburg followed by a 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig. “They were strong opponents. What was important to me: We played really well against Leipzig.” After the short preseason in the summer, Peter Bosz has identified a continual improvement in his team in terms of the quality of their game.
VfB Stuttgart have picked up one more point in their first two matches than Bayer 04, who have won 16 out of the last 17 against the next opponents. After the 3-2 defeat against Freiburg in the first Bundesliga match since returning to the top division, the team under coach Pellegrino Matarazzo secured a convincing 4-1 win at Mainz at the weekend.
Bosz and Co. know all about the Swabians from last season’s Round of 16 tie in the DFB Cup. The Werkself came out on top with a narrow 2-1 win en route to the final. “They’re a good team,” said the 56-year-old. “They transition well, have good players in midfield and are are well-balanced as a result. For me they are a team that will have no problems in the Bundesliga due to their quality.”
All the Werkself squad took part in the training session on Thursday with the exception of Paulinho who is still in rehab recovering from his torn cruciate at the start of July. Bosz said his new signing Santiago Arias (Atlético Madrid) has trained well this week. “We’ll have to wait and see if he’s match fit,” reported the Dutchman on Friday. “We’ll see what happens in today’s session as to whether they are all available for the Stuttgart game.”
Match information:
Broadcasters: Sky and Werks11 Radio (bayer04.de)
Referee: The match officials will be announced on the day of the game
Attendance: 8,500
Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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Moussa Diaby is back! In his first interview since returning to Bayer Leverkusen, Moussa Diaby talks, amongst other things, about how it feels to be back in Leverkusen, as well as his connection to the city, the club and the fans.
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