The well-earned point in the Europa League away game at Real Betis (1-1) was followed by last Sunday’s 2-2 draw at FC Köln, which for Gerardo Seoane "felt like a defeat. The team was obviously disappointed and frustrated," added the 42-year-old. But they've shown before, as after the 5-1 defeat against Bayern Munich, "that they can quickly recover and are ready to carry on learning."
The Swiss boss is in good spirits going into the knockout encounter with Karlsruher SC, who are currently eighth in Bundesliga 2. "We want to go through to the next round, have the right attitude on the pitch, show a response and keep on developing," said Seoane at the press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
The stats are in favour of the Black and Reds: Amongst the teams who Bayer 04 have played at least ten times since the Bundesliga was founded, the number of defeats is only better against FC Augsburg (0%) than it is against KSC (14%). The only previous cup clash with the team from South Germany in August 2017 saw the Werkself go through with a 3-0 victory after extra time. Back then, Dominik Kohr, Joel Pohjanpalo and Leon Bailey scored in the pouring rain at the Wildparkstadion.
At that time still in the third division, Karlsruhe developed into a solid second division side last season – above all thanks to head coach and former KSC player Christian Eichner. "They have picked up important away wins. They have a good mix of experienced and young players with good physiques," reported Seoane, who has taken a close look at the opponents with his fellow coaches. “They definitely have weapons, for example impressive set-pieces. But if we produce a good performance then we have a chance of going through to the next round."
Bayer 04 were hit by two setbacks yesterday: Karim Bellarabi suffered a muscle injury in his thigh in Cologne and Patrik Schick a torn ligament in his ankle. The two forwards will probably only be available again after the international break in the middle of November.
Lucas Alario could now get more time on the pitch up front. The Argentina international scored 11 goals in the last Bundesliga campaign. After his start in Seville last week, the 29-year-old has complained of slight muscle problems that meant he was only able to complete parts of full training on Tuesday. "I'm waiting for the feedback from the doctors and physios and then I'll consider the risks. There are still four games to go to the international break and we will always need Lucas given that Schick is ruled out," explained Seoane.
U19 striker Iker Bravo could be in the senior squad for the first time against Karlsruhe. "The idea is in the room," said Seoane who welcomed the Spaniard to the training ground on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old Bravo joined Leverkusen in the summer from the world-renowned La Masia academy at Barcelona. Last weekend, the U19 player netted a brace in the 3-1 win in the U19 Bundesliga match against Fortuna Düsseldorf. That included a notable goal scored an impressive goal scored with an overhead kick.
Match information:
Broadcasters: Sky and Werkself Radio
Referee: Tobias Welz (Wiesbaden)
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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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
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