Edmond Tapsoba knows Porto better than any other player in the Leverkusen squad. The Burkina Faso international has played the north Portuguese club twice with Vitória Guimaraes and twice as a Bayer 04 player. “Porto is a great club and the atmosphere at their stadium is special,” said Tapsoba, recently voted a member of the team of the century by Guimaraes fans, at the press conference on Monday evening. “They convincingly beat Braga 4-1 a few days ago and I watched the game. They’ve got a good team and a dangerous attack. But it’s also clear we’ve come here to win.”
Tapsoba and Co. showed how to do it in the Europa League in 2019/20. A 2-1 home win against Porto was followed by a 3-1 win for Bayer 04 in Portugal.
21 Werkself players set off for Portugal on Monday afternoon and they will have the backing of 669 fans in the away section on Tuesday night. In comparison to the squad for the clash with Bayern Munich, Daley Sinkgraven (not registered for the Champions League) is missing but Ayman Azhil has travelled.
While no big changes in personnel are expected, a different approach is required compared with the display in the 4-0 defeat in Munich. “Of course, we were disappointed after the game. The team and staff have looked at their performances,” said coach Gerardo Seoane. The Swiss coach sees a Leverkusen team, “that is fully aware of this difficult situation. We all have to ensure that that we show qualities like the ability to fight and commitment on the pitch.”
Asked about being considered as the favourites in tomorrow’s game, Seoane highlighted the home game factor. And yet: “All the teams in this group can beat each other. I think it will be a very balanced and tight game.”
Asked about his own future at Leverkusen, Seoane reported: “We always have internal open discussions and communicate as clearly as possible. I’ve been in this business for a long time and the most important thing is always the results and the next game. It’s my job to coach the team and draw the right conclusions after a defeat. I’m focusing on that. I think it’s professional the way the club reassesses the situation again and again to not lose sight of the whole picture. The club has shown their confidence in me otherwise I wouldn’t be here any more. It’s understandable that journalists keep asking those questions. I can handle that.”
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
Show more
A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
Show more
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…
Show more
You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
Show more
Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
Show more
