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On the back of the "great atmosphere at the stadium and good team performance” in the home game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday (3-0), Xabi Alonso and the Werkself are looking forward to the final match in 2023.
VfL Bochum also go into the game on the back of a win: The team led by coach Thomas Letsch beat Union Berlin 3-0 at home at the weekend. "They played very well and are a team with a heart that battles," said Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon where he also made it clear: "We're playing at home, we definitely want to win."
If the Werkself beat Bochum or the match ends all square then it would be the 25th match in succession without defeat. That would set a new record in the Bundesliga. Before the Werkself this season, only Hamburg SV went 24 games without defeat (1982/83). In response to a question about the potential record, Alonso said: "I don't think too much about records. We just want to win our games. Of course, we're happy if that brings records with it."
Exequiel Palacios is unavailable for this game. The Argentinian midfield enforcer picked up a fifth yellow card against Eintracht Frankfurt. "Of course, we'll miss him, he's developed very well this year and has had a great season to date. We'll wait and see who starts tomorrow," said Alonso who named Robert Andrich, Gustavo Puerta and also Alejandro Grimaldo as potential alternatives in this position.
The fact the Spaniard has so many options in terms of personnel is also due to the low number of injuries in the Werkself squad in the season to date. Alonso on that: "Obviously injuries can always happen but we haven't suffered from that yet. Our medical team is working hard to prevent and avoid injuries. In principle, that's as important as the training sessions themselves."
Bochum come to Leverkusen as the team that inflicted the last defeat on Bayer 04: VfL won 3-0 at home at the end of May to secure their top-flight status while the Werkself qualified for the Europa League. Alonso and his players dealt with that result a long time ago.
Now it is time to look forward to the final game of the year at the BayArena. Asked about the relationship between the team, club and fans, the Spaniard said: "Feeling the enthusiasm of the fans and celebrating together is a great feeling for me and almost as important as the points themselves. We want to create that feeling as often as possible in the New Year as well."
The fans at the BayArena should stay after the final whistle for a brief and communal festive conclusion to the year. Players, coaches and staff will gather in the centre circle and sing two Christmas carols with the fans with the backing of a choir.
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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