Robert Kovac, are there times when you don't agree with your brother? Kovac: "Of course, there are times when we don't agree. But we talk about it and always end up agreeing."“
When you played together at Leverkusen you often shared a room for away matches. How do you remember your time at Bayer 04? Kovac: "Those years at Bayer 04 are amongst the best in my career as a footballer. Not just because I played alongside my brother for three years but also because there was a huge and positive change in mood after almost being relegated."
Tin Jedvaj made his international debut under you as national coach. How do you assess his potential and development?
Kovac: "The potential is definitely there and he's very talented but he still has to keep on working and developing his game. Personally, I see him more as a central defender than as a full-back."„
Since March you've been together at Eintracht Frankfurt who were involved in a relegation battle last season. Your first task as a coach in the Bundesliga could easily have been more straightforward, couldn't it?
Kovac: "Of course, we would have preferred the season to have run more smoothly. But it was a very big challenge that we mastered together."
What have you learned from the difficult and the successful times?
Kovac: "That we managed to stay up despite the enormous pressure – and that with the support of our fans, everyone around us and the whole region."
How do you rate Eintracht's chances this season?
Kovac: "I think our chances of securing top-flight status early on are better this season."
15 years have gone by – Will the match in Leverkusen still be special for you?
Kovac: "They’re always special games because I still know people from here and I'm always happy to catch up with them again."
What do Eintracht need to do to win?
Kovac: "Very good luck, a united team performance and the support of our fans."
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 personal 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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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss against VfL Wolfsburg on the 2nd matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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Bayer 04’s eight opponents in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League have been confirmed. At the draw on Friday 28 August held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, the Werkself were drawn against two opponents from each of the four pots. There are a total of four home and four away matches. Read on for details of opponents and fixture dates.
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In the 3-2 defeat at Bundesliga newcomers SV 07 Elversberg, the Werkself found the back of the net in the closing stages and, with a bit of luck, could still have equalised. “Today, our play wasn’t good enough, particularly when it came to the basics,” said head coach Carles Martínez. Like the boss, Ibrahim Maza also wants to learn from the match and look ahead: “Next week, people should be able to see from the very first minute that we want it more than our opponents.” The Werkself review on the Bundesliga opener in 2026/27.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-3 loss at SV 07 Elversberg on Matchday 1 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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