Central defender Jonathan Tah was forthright at the pre-match press conference. The 25-year-old: “There’s no more ifs and maybes – we have to win and go through. That’s our clear target.”
To get there requires the team to be “focussed and aggressive” from the start. There should not be other initial phase as in the first leg: The Werkself were 2-0 down after 19 minutes and at half-time it was 3-0 to the hosts.
While Tah will again be in the line-up for the second game against Young Boys, Sven Bender is not in the squad. The experienced defender made his comeback on Sunday in the 1-1 draw at Augsburg after three months out due to injury and is set be gradually reintroduced with a busy period of fixtures coming up. Nadiem Amiri, who missed the game against FCA due to an infection, is fit again and could be an option against Young Boys. With the winger Karim Bellarabi (muscle injury), Bosz took a similar position, “we’ll see if he’s ready for the squad.”
Ahead of the knockout match at the BayArena, the Werkself head coach talked about the significance of the game against the Swiss club for Bayer 04. The 57-year-old: “The game is very important to us, we definitely want to go through to the next round. Our task is clear: to win.”
Match information:
Broadcasters: DAZN, RTL Nitro and Werks11 Radio
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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