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"We are looking forward to the first of at least four busy weeks. Sometimes it's good if you don't have so much time and simply keep on playing the whole time," said Alonso at the start of the press conference. The Spaniard did sound a warning: "We will have problems if we are not 100% on our game against Mainz tomorrow."
The opponents, who have conceded the second least number of goals in the league, are in top form: "They are currently in very good shape. They are very brave on the ball and play with great energy." At the same time, Mainz are also well organised in defence: "They have a fine feeling for when they need to press high when they need to sit back. They've shown that several times against top teams as for example against Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund."
Jeanuel Belocian (torn cruciate), Amine Adli and Victor Boniface are still unavailable. Alonso: "Adli can be back with the team by the end of January at the earliest, Boniface could return in the coming week but he needs time to train."
Alonso also had words of praise for Boniface’s fellow striker Patrik Schick: "He not only scores goals but also knows how to defend and knows what a great influence that has on our game." The coach was also positive about defender Piero Hincapie, who set up Schick in the 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund: "We are very happy with his development. He's a real fighter regardless of position and I'm glad he finally provided an assist for Patrik. He's practiced that in training for a long time."
The home section will be sold out on Tuesday night and 1700 visiting fans are expected to travel from Mainz. There are still a few tickets in circulation on the official Bayer 04 ticket exchange .
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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