Lars Bender was visibly happy at the prospect of tomorrow's game. The Werkself skipper made his views clear at the press conference: "We've worked hard to get back into the Champions League. That's why we want to make tomorrow night a great one."
Roger Schmidt adopted the same position and recalled the frenetic end to the second half of last campaign that meant not having to take part in the play-offs. "Since the referee blew for full-time against Hertha we have been looking forward to it and now it's finally here," said Schmidt who has been forced into making some changes.
Schmidt: "Volland an option"
Karim Bellarabi is ruled out of Wednesday's game after suffering a groin injury in the Hamburg match at the weekend and the same applies to Vladlen Yurchenko (hairline fracture to fibula). "Otherwise everybody else is available," said Schmidt. New signing Aleksandar Dragovic was joined by Stephan Kießling, Charles Aranguiz and Kevin Volland at the final pre-match training session. "Kevin had physical contact with his arm in training and he felt comfortable. He's an option for the squad," said Schmidt.
Joel Pohjanpalo is another obvious candidate. The hat-trick hero from the Hamburg match, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday, can be hopeful of being in the starting eleven. "Joel is a player who can play from the start in the Champions League – nothing can be ruled out," said Schmidt.
The match will be refereed by the Italian Daniele Orsato and 25,000 tickets have been sold so far. The remaining tickets go on sale when the gates are opened tomorrow night and Bayer 04 would like to remind supporters that large bags and rucksacks are not allowed in the stadium at Champions League matches
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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