Hello Adrian, how did it come about that you’re in the Bundesliga Home Challenge with Kai?
In the middle of February, ‘Deto’ and I played against Lucas Alario and Wendell during a PR day and we won 2-0. I don’t know whether the win was down to me (he laughs). When the request came from Florian Dederichs (head of internationalisation and eSports at Bayer 04, ed.) a few days ago, I was happy to say yes.
Professional football is suspended at the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic. Have you used your time over the past few days to train on the console?
I mainly spend my time training for real football at the moment and keeping myself as fit as possible. I push the treadmill onto the terrace and train in the garden in the fresh air. Of course, I’ve played a few games on PlayStation over the past few days since I got the thumbs-up but I’m just looking to have fun with it.
What tactics do you prefer on the console?
I used to play PlayStation 2 and 3 as well as FIFA. Over the years, I’ve noticed I’m more of a counter-attacking player who wants to quickly bag a couple of goals and then sit back – I’m not good at holding onto the ball in virtual football. But I’ll definitely ask Kai for one or two tips before the game.
Do you reckon you might get one or two messages from your teammates if you lose to the Darmstadt player Felix Platte?
They’ll definitely get in touch if I do lose… (he laughs)
On the Bundesliga Home Challenge:
The DFL Bundesliga Home Challenge is an eSports tournament with 26 clubs from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 taking part. Each club has a team made up of at least one first team player and a person “from the relevant club or closely linked to it.” The duos – each of them at home – play online in two individual games on the football game FIFA 20 and on PlayStation 4 (‘85-mode’). The matches will be broadcast on the Virtual Bundesliga YouTube channel and the clashes involving Bayer 04 will also be on the ‘b04esports’ Twitch channel. Bayer 04 TV will also show highlights.
Bayern Munich come to the BayArena this Saturday with an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga as they look to take a step closer to the title. As imperious as they may seem, a weakness has emerged of late that the Werkself proved they can exploit in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League. Leverkusen are also looking to make it four Bundesliga home games unbeaten against the Bavarians. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the 15:30 CET kick-off in our matchday news.
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Another home game, another top opponent - another marker? Three days after their convincing performance in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, Bayer 04 continue their Bundesliga campaign with an equally high-calibre fixture. Matchday 26 sees league leaders Bayern Munich visit the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about a comparison between Arsenal and the Bavarians, Bayern's high-scoring performance in Europe's premier club competition and a return to the squad for one Werkself player.
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High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
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The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
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They're well on their way to becoming German champions for the 35th time and once again proved their incredible class in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. This Saturday, 14 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET), Bayern Munich will be the visitors to the BayArena. It'll be a meeting of the two Bundesliga teams with the most dominant styles of play. A look at our opponents shows the visitors from the Bavarian capital have many strengths - but are also vulnerable.
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