In search of a win away to Greuther Fürth, the main focus at the BayArena this week was on attacking. "What we've recently been missing is definitely being clinical in the final third," said head coach Gerardo Seoane at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The past few days has seen more one-to-one discussions as well as individual video analysis. "We've said to the lads what we demand and expect of them in each game: brave and direct approaches to the penalty area but also shots from outside the box."
In spite of the Cloverleaves being bottom and facing relegation (eleven-point gap to sixteenth place), Seoane believes his team face a demanding challenge – also due to the changed approach that has brought more stability to the Fürth defence in recent games: "They’ve played good football for a long time. They will be courageous and compact at home as they are in every game," analysed the Swiss coach. "For me, our performance on the day is crucial. We have to be more offensive and pose more of a threat on goal without losing our defensive shape."
How the Werkself defence will line-up will only become clear after the final pre-match training session on Friday afternoon. Edmond Tapsoba received a kick on the ankle in the 1-0 home defeat against RB Leipzig last Sunday and he still had slight problems on Thursday. Seoane on the 23-year-old central defender: "If the final training session is normal for Eddy then he'll be with us tomorrow."
In the event that Tapsoba is not available in time, the head coach has left-footed Daley Sinkgraven in mind for the right side of defence; the right-footed Odilon Kossounou would move into central defence alongside Jonathan Tah. "Of course, it's different for a player in terms of orientation but you can make your mark offensively on the ‘wrong’ side. Daley has high technical quality and great game intelligence that will obviously help him in a different position," said Seoane about the Dutchman.
Bayer 04 are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal after a 4-0 win at Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday night. The game was paused after only 18 minutes due to a storm over the ground. After a lengthy delay, play resumed and Patrik Schick opened the scoring. Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alejandro Grimaldo made things more comfortable in the second half, as the fourth-tier side had two players sent off.
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There were no goals across 115 minutes of football between Bayer 04 Women and PSV Eindhoven in Friday’s friendly. Roberto Pätzold’s team played two 45-minute periods before an extra 25 minutes two days prior to heading to Rieden for their training camp. Their Dutch opponents were preparing for their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier in 12 days.
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The first round of the DFB Pokal takes Bayer 04 to Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday. The amateur club have just gained promotion to the fourth-tier Regionalliga Südwest and kicked off their campaign with two impressive wins. Here’s all you need to know as Erik ten Hag makes his competitive bow as Werkself boss at the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena (kick-off: 6pm CEST).
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After two months preparing for the new season, the Werkself play the first game of the 2025/26 campaign on Friday, 15 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) away to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB Pokal. Ahead of the tie against the team newly promoted to the Regional League South West, head coach Erik ten Hag talked about his approach to the knockout game and his soft spot for cup competitions.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new Premium Partner in its ranks in Düsseldorf company LumenHaus GmbH. The leading provider of networked home energy solutions has initially agreed a one-year partnership with the Bundesliga runners-up to the end of the 2025/26 season.
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