As with every match, the Swiss coach has gathered a wealth of information from a number of people about the forthcoming opposition - in this case Union Berlin. One of them: Robert Andrich. The Werkself midfield dynamo played for Union up to the summer of last year. “Of course, we’ve spoken to Rob to find out what made it easier or more difficult for him and Union against opponents last season,” explained Gerardo Seoane at Friday’s pre-match press conference.
There is no question the Leverkusen head coach and his team face opponents in the first fixture of the year who are “resilient and well-organised. They know exactly how they want to play and have a clear plan.” In addition, the team under Seoane’s countryman Urs Fischer have a player in versatile forward Max Kruse who can always play a “decisive role.”
In the first match of the year, Leverkusen will definitely have to manage without five players: Julian Baumgartlinger and Charles Aránguiz are injured, Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou are involved in the Africa Cup of Nations.
In addition, Seoane announced on Friday that Nadiem Amiri has tested positive for coronavirus. “He has recovered, had two vaccinations and a booster but is now infected again. That shows what a huge challenge the situation presents for us and the whole of society,” said the Swiss boss. “Coronavirus will influence who is available to work in football and society. We all have to come to terms with that. There are lots of other places, such as hospitals, where absences will have a much greater effect.”
There is a question mark over the availability of Exequiel Palacios after he injured his back in training at the start of the week. According to Seoane, it “will be decided over the course of today or tomorrow” if the Argentinian can be included in the squad.
The absences affect positions in central midfield and central defence. Nevertheless, the coach believes his team is ready for the opening match of 2022 against Union. “We’ve got the options and enough players in the squad to fill those positions who we have great confidence in,” said the 43-year-old. One of those is Piero Hincapie who is definitely available after returning from his home country of Ecuador after being in quarantine due to coronavirus.
After being nominated for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025, Martin Terrier's wonderful strike for the opener against FC Köln is now also up for selection for the ARD Sportschau Goal of the Month award for December 2025. Bayer 04 fans have until 19:00 CET on 10 January to vote for the French forward.
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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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"In every ending lies a new beginning" is a well-known saying. This phrase has probably never been more apt at Bayer 04. After winning the Bundesliga in 2023/24 and finishing as runners-up in 2024/25, the summer was the most eventful ever in terms of transfers. Over ten players and the coach, including the coaching staff, left the club. A lot of the heroes of the double-winning side began a new chapter. It was the end of an era. And at the same time the beginning of a new, very exciting and promising chapter for Leverkusen. The Werkself welcomed more than a dozen new arrivals, including experienced title-winners and young talents, to build a new "foundation for a successful team capable of winning titles" under the Bayer Cross, as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. A new spirit, a new hunger, a new story was to be created. Bayer04.de looks back at the first few months of this story and the final act of the preseason.
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43 points at the end of the last Bundesliga season were not only more than ever before for the Bayer 04 Women, but also led to a record fourth-place finish. That was followed by a Hinrunde with many more victories, but also some setbacks. In an interview with bayer04.de, sporting director Achim Feifel takes stock at the end of the year.
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With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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