
Bastian, what's your assessment of the season so far?
We're very happy overall up to now. We've been able to develop a new DNA. Particularly after a poor season last term, we owed our fans a lot.
You're playing for Schalke against your former club Bayer 04 on Saturday on matchday 14. Is this game special for you?
Of course, Bayer 04 are my hometown club. I went there when I was ten so it's always special to play against them – above all at the BayArena. I will often went there as a kid and I'll definitely see one or two familiar faces again on Saturday.
What sort of game are you expecting?
Leverkusen are a very strong side as they've very often shown this season. We are definitely up against one of the best teams in the league on Saturday. We'll have to be on top of our game to get a result.
You were born in Bergisch Gladbach and grew up in the region. How much support will you have in the stands at the weekend?
My family still lives in Bergisch Gladbach. Everybody goes to the game when we play at Leverkusen. So I'll have to organise some tickets again for Saturday.
You were in nearly all the youth teams at Bayer 04. Is there one particular highlight that stands out from that time?
I'll never forget the U19 Bundesliga final against Bayern Munich (2006/07, ed.). We played in front of 22,000 crowd at the BayArena and won 2-1 after extra time. That was particularly special – above all at such a young age.
Finally, the obligatory question: What's your prediction for the game against your former club?
I obviously hope we win and I think we can do it by a one-goal margin.

The Bayer 04 Women have made good use of the international break. In stormy weather, the Werkself beat top-flight Dutch team NAC Breda 8-1 in a friendly on Thursday afternoon. Caroline Kehrer (5’/18’), Paulina Bartz (15’), Valentina Mädl (38’/69’/79’) and Vanessa Fudalla (53’) scored for the Leverkusen side.
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Six Leverkusen players will be on the road during the first international break of the current season. While one is set to play for Germany in the final round of the UEFA Women's Nations League, another could be making her debut for the Germany U19s.
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The next match in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga has been scheduled: The Werkself will play their Matchday 11 game on a Saturday afternoon. This was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Wednesday afternoon.
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Bayer 04 welcomed former Chinese forward Chen Yang, the first player from his country to play in the Bundesliga, to the BayArena on Monday as part of a collaboration with Bundesliga International. The initiative aims to promote Bundesliga stories and behind-the-scenes content for the Chinese market ahead of the launch of Chen’s Douyin (China’s TikTok) social media channel later this month.
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