"The game here is special for me as I scored my first goal for the national team here. That will always stay with me," described Frimpong, who also revealed that a large chunk of his family, who live in Amsterdam, will be in attendance tomorrow. Alonso also expressed his excitement for the upcoming match at the famous old 'De Kuip' stadium: "It's a historic stadium with a unique atmosphere. Kicking off the Champions League here, it couldn't be better."
What's more, the motivation for the competition is massive. "Everyone wants to play in the Champions League at some point," said the Bayer 04 head coach. "It's the biggest stage, so we're happy to be back on it. We have a challenging but exciting season ahead of us and are really looking forward to it." However, the Spaniard also sounded a word of warning: "All teams start with zero points. Last season a dream came true for us, but we don't want to look back anymore. Our aim now is to prove ourselves again. The players have hunger. We want to get as many points as possible from the first block of four games."
The Spaniard also praised the opponents. "I already watched Feyenoord a lot in the Europa League last season because we could've come up against them at any point and we wanted to be ready." Frimpong also sees the Dutch hosts as a "top team", adding: "I don't think we're the favourites. Feyenoord have been playing at a high level for years and are a big club here in the Netherlands. Some of my team-mates from the national team also play here. We have great respect for them. So, the game tomorrow could go either way."
They'll have to pay particular attention to striker Santiago Gimenez, according to Alonso. "He'll be a big challenge for our defence," he explained. "He's a very all-round player, has good movement and is always willing, so we'll need to keep an eye on him at all times."
A crowd of 42,000 is expected at "De Kuip" - "the tub" in English - including 2,500 visiting supporters. All Werkself fans should read the club's fan info for the match.
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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