How important the return match at the BayArena is to Young Boys was evident on Sunday. In the league match against Servette, coach Gerardo Seoane rotated seven players from the side that faced the Werkself – and he said that was based on the return match. "We need a top performance against Leverkusen," said the coach at the post-match press conference. "For that, we need fresh legs and clear minds. That was the basic reason for who played today and who didn't." Jordan Siebatcheu, who scored two goals in the 4-3 win in the first leg, was not in the squad, "to avoid getting injured," said Seoane.
The coach was able to make the large number of changes. Bern secured a comfortable 2-0 victory. They took an early lead through an own goal by the visitors and the final scoreline was complete before half-time with a header from striker Jean-Pierre Nsame. Nsame, Bern's top goalscorer, remains suspended for the return match against the Werkself – as does central defender Mohamed Camara who was sent off in added time against Servette. That did not affect the deserved victory – and the hoped-for revenge: Young Boys suffered their only defeat of the season in the Super League in the previous match against Servette.
But now, "the focus is on Leverkusen," as striker Felix Mambimbi said straight after the game. The YB captain Fabian Lustenberger added: "We have a great chance and we want to do our best to prepare for that."
Young Boys need a draw to go through and to improve their record in Germany. The Swiss team have only won one of their eleven games there but that does include five draws. Number six would put them in the Round of 16 – and that would be the best performance in this competition at the eighth attempt. The former Hertha player Lustenberger declared: "We have the game of the year ahead of us on Thursday."
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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