The members of the media at the press conference were particularly interested in Lucas Alario as he is set to be in the Werkself squad against Hamburg now that he has received permission to play from FIFA. "It's great news that we've been waiting a long time for," said Heiko Herrlich In commenting on his new option up front. "You can see he knows where the goal is," said the Werkself coach in summing up his impressions of Alario after watching him in full training over the past few weeks. "Lucas is a striker who is good on the ball, involves other players and is willing to cover back." However, as Herrlich explicitly emphasised, it is important not to put too much pressure on the new signing as has been in a completely new environment for just three weeks. "It's up to all the players to make the most of their chances up front and not just Lukas."
The spectators at the BayArena on Sunday may witness Alario's debut – and he could even start. "We'll think about it," said Herrlich who, after two energy-sapping performances, indicated his desire to rotate one or two positions. "That makes sense at the end of a busy week of fixtures regardless of the performances of the players," explained the head coach. At the same time, he's absolutely clear about the need to improve on the Berlin game. "We have to stop being careless," was Herrlich's appeal to the team. "We can't afford any more phases as against Hertha where we were less than vigilant." However, the head coach was optimistic that Bayer 04 will be capable of repeating the display in the previous home game against Freiburg in this weekend's match against HSV. "We are working on it very hard. It's a process of development but we're on the right path," said Herrlich. "We want to show greater concentration and sharpness against Hamburg."
Bayer 04 are still without Tin Jedvaj But the defender is doing well in his rehab following a hairline shin fracture. Youngster Kai Havertz and the skipper Lars Bender picked up knocks in the game in the capital but the chances are good that Heiko Herrlich will be able to call on their services on Sunday – and there will also be massed and loud support from the stands. Definitely a success factor as: Hamburg have not won at the BayArena since 2009 – a run that players and fans will be looking to continue on Sunday.
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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