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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 .
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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