On Sunday 1 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET) the Werkself in fifth place play the team second in the table at the Red Bull Arena. "It will be a highly interesting top match with two teams in good shape and on a good run," said Bosz full of anticipation. The fact that Leipzig, unlike the Werkself, did not have a game during the week is not particularly significant. The Dutchman added: "Perhaps they will want to be very aggressive against us at the start. But we know Leipzig, have often played them and watched them a lot."
Following the return from Porto, the Werkself were soon back on the training ground at the BayArena. A recovery session plus a normal workout for players not in the starting eleven at Porto were on the agenda. Charles Aránguiz took part. The Chilean missed the trip to Portugal due to the after-effects of a cold. "We'll have to wait and see after tomorrow's training session," said Bosz in reference to a possible appearance for his holding midfielder against Leipzig. Lars Bender, who was substituted in the Porto game, is undergoing a medical today and more will be known about the captain tomorrow.
Immediately before flying out from Porto, winger Moussa Diaby found out his son Ismail had been born in Paris. His team mates congratulated the Frenchman on board the plane. After landing at Cologne/Bonn Airport, the new father drove straight off in the direction of Paris to see his newborn for the first time. "We're all really happy for him," declared Bosz. "We'll wait and see what happens with him. We don't know at the moment."
The day after qualifying for the Europa League Round of 16, the head coach briefly looked back at last night's game at the Estádio do Dragão. "The team did very well. It wasn't our best game but it was a convincing win against a good opponent. We controlled the game, dominated and deserved to win."
The targets after nine wins in ten games remain the same. Bosz: "Our aim is to carry on trying to win every game – and that's worked out really well recently. It's not worth looking too far ahead with two games a week. We only focus on the next opponent."
Shortly after landing in Germany, Bosz and Co. discovered their opponents in the Europa League Round of 16. The Werkself play Rangers on 12 and 19 March. The Dutchman is looking forward to the clashes with the top Scottish side: "They are a good opponent with a great history in football. And it will be the first game at Ibrox for me."
Match information:
Attendance: 1,000 Bayer 04 fans are travelling to Leipzig.
Broadcaster: Sky (TV), Werkself Radio (bayer04.de)
Referee: Felix Zwayer (Berlin)
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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