Slavia Prague come to the BayArena for the final game in the group full of confidence. The team under Jindrich Trpisovsky secured a 3-0 win in the top match in the Czech Republic on Sunday night in the derby against city rivals Sparta who are also Slavia’s main pursuers in the league. A brace from the 19-year-old winger Abdallah Sima, just a substitute in the previous game against Bayer 04, put his team on course for victory before half-time with Ondrej Lingr netting the third goal in the second half. "The lads produced a great performance," declared a happy coach Trpisovsky.
The victory has extended Slavia’s lead over Sparta to five points and – like Bayer 04 in Germany – they are unbeaten this season with an outstanding goal difference of 30 for and just three against. The same applies in the Europa League since the 1-0 win against the Werkself at the end of October with the Czech Republic side clocking up wins against Nice (3-2, 3-1) and Hapoel Be'er Sheva (3-0) and they are still top of the table. Trpisovsky will have to manage without Tomas Malinsky on Thursday. The winger, who started in the previous match against Bayer 04 and also made his debut for the Czech Republic this season, is out of action with a muscle injury. However, they have a first class replacement: Since Malinsky's injury, the Senegalese Sima, who was in the second team until the end of September, is playing on the right wing – where he has not only scored a brace in the derby but also at least one goal in each of Slavia’s last six games including all three Europa League ties. The Werkself will definitely have to keep an eye out for this whizz-kid.
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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