“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
The season card waiting list, introduced by Bayer 04 last season, is open to Bayer 04 Club members. Read on for further information.
Show more
The Werkself training camp officially began early on Tuesday morning with the landing in Rio de Janeiro. Ahead of the first session in the afternoon local time, bayer04.de profiles the talented youngsters from the youth teams who have travelled to Brazil.
Show more
The welcome in Brazil could not have been more fitting: Paulo Sergio, with a small Bayer 04 delegation, welcomed the Werkself to Rio de Janeiro on the beach in front of the team hotel on Tuesday morning local time. Under clear blue skies, players, coaches and staff joined together for a group photo and then it was off to the rooms and breakfast. Shortly after the Werkself arrived, club legend Paulo Sergio, who will accompany the Werkself over the coming days, talked bayer04.de about these emotional moments for him.
Show more
Preparations for the 2025/26 season are in full swing with the new head coach Erik ten Hag working for the start of the season in the middle of August. After the timings for the first matchdays in the forthcoming Bundesliga season were confirmed a few days ago, we now provide information on the first sale phase for match tickets. The early booker phase, exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members, brings some changes. Read on for further information.
Show more
Bayer 04 are away to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the 2025/26 DFB Pokal. The match is on Friday, 15 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) at the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena. Read on for the latest ticket information.
Show more
