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“The first leg last week was very tough for us. Qarabag will fight again tomorrow, and we have to do the same till the end,” said Alonso at Wednesday’s press conference. According to the Spaniard, the Werkself need “the right balance between stability and tempo in our own game” up against Azerbaijan’s champions. “We need to give everything on the pitch. And if we do that, then we’ve got a better chance of progressing.”
Alonso is also looking forward to the knockout match: “I love games like this where it’s all or nothing. They’re always special and can have an electric atmosphere. But we can’t be too emotional in how we do things tomorrow.” Stanisic also stressed at the press conference: “The appeal is perhaps a bit higher than normal in decisive games like this. If things go badly, we’re out and there’s no chance to put it right. But I’m confident we’ll go into the game with focus and feel well prepared. We won’t underestimate Qarabag and want to give our best, like in every game.”
The Croatia international has started eight times out of 11 competitive fixtures in 2024. “I’m more pleased with my playing time than at the start of the season. I had to adapt, but I think I’ve done that well. We’re a team. We wouldn’t be where we are right now, in all three competitions, without every individual player and a big squad.”
Visitors Qarabag have two key players back for the second leg after Julio Romao and Elvin Jafarguliyev served suspensions in Baku. Alonso added about the Azerbaijanis: “Qarabag have a good squad and good players. We need a convincing performance and the full support of our fans.”
The Spaniard also confirmed to the media that Matej Kovar will again start on Thursday. The Czech goalkeeper wasn’t in the squad to face Wolfsburg on Sunday due to a muscular issue but is ready for Qarabag. “Matej has told me he’s 100 percent fit, so he’ll play,” Alonso reported.
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-1 derby win at 1. FC Köln Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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