Yes, I'd like to see videos dispalyed.
"April will be very important," declared Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon. "We are six points behind FC Bayern and there are still 24 points to play for. It won't be easy but the desire is definitely there. The clear target is to fight to the end. We want to apply as much pressure as possible. And tomorrow we have the first opportunity to close the gap. So we have to win."
The mood in the team is very good following the brilliant 4-3 victory at VfB Stuttgart on the last matchday: "We are in great shape. The comeback in Stuttgart was a big win. That helped us feel good again after a difficult week."
Alonso did sound a warning about the team led by head coach Dieter Hecking who is unbeaten in his last three Bundesliga games against the Werkself: "They are fighting with all their might to stay up and recently showed their strength not only against FC Bayern (3-2, ed.) but also against other big teams like Dortmund (2-0, ed.) and Leipzig (3-3, ed.)." The Spaniard added: "Our negative experience with the defeat against Bremen (0-2, ed.) is still fresh. We made a lot of mistakes in that game. We've learned our lesson from that."
The 43-year-old can call on all twelve players on duty in the international break: "They have all come back fit and well." Robert Andrich, Jonathan Tah, Alejandro Grimaldo, Aleix Garcia, Jeremie Frimpong and Lukas Hradecky returned to training with the team in Leverkusen on Wednesday.
Nathan Tella is not available for tomorrow’s game. For Martin Terrier, a return is realistic for the away fixture at FC Heidenheim (5 April). And Alonso also talked about Florian Wirtz with cautious optimism: "He feels better and perhaps he will be back sooner than expected."
The BayArena is sold out for the game on Friday night with 3,000 away fans travelling from Bochum. The motto for the matchday league wide is: ‘TOGETHER! STOP HATE. BE A TEAM.’
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
Show more
The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
Show more
A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
Show more
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
Show more
