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Xabi Alonso delivered the most important information from a Black and Red perspective right at the start of the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon: "Everybody has recovered well from the game, there are no injuries." His team secured a convincing 5-1 victory over Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday night. As usual, the ambitious Spaniard is now looking forward again: "The most important thing is for us to carry on in the same way. And that's what we want to do."
To maintain the focus each week primarily requires "consistency. We talk every day and give 100% every day. If you want to be successful then you can't afford to stand still."
The Werkself have only won one of the last five home games against SC Freiburg. "Freiburg are difficult to play against," said Alonso. The visitors from the Breisgau come to Leverkusen on the back of two wins in succession but will have to manage without Roland Sallai and Maximilian Philipp. The attacking duo at SCF were injured in the Europa League game against Backa Topola (3-1) on Thursday night.
Alonso has great respect for Freiburg's coach Christian Streich. The 41-year-old said regarding his fellow coach, who has been in charge at Freiburg since 2012: "We had a bit of a chat after the game in Freiburg last year. I can learn a thing or two from coaches like him."
The Werkself go into matchday eight as league leaders. Bayer 04 have won all games with the exception of the 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. The situation at the top of the table is tight despite that. Only two points separate first and fourth spots. "It's great for the league that it's so exciting," said Alonso in response to a question. "Stuttgart are playing brilliantly and have a clear approach, Bayern are always there. Of course, there’s also Dortmund and Leipzig as well as Hoffenheim who are doing well behind them."
In recent days and weeks, a lot of events have been organised for the first district matchday at the weekend involving people from the Leverkusen district of Opladen. An early get-together at the Zwieback bar in Opladen on Sunday from eleven in the morning should provide the perfect start to a hopefully successful day of football at the BayArena.
The club will be present in different areas of Leverkusen over the coming months as part of the new Bayer 04 campaign of district matchdays. The game against Freiburg is one of six of these special matchdays this season
This evening was deeply moving: At a really special setting, Bayer 04 exclusively presented the specially produced documentary ‘Fierté Burkinabè’ ("Burkinabe Pride") about Edmond Tapsoba on Tuesday. For the preview at the BayArena, the parents of the Werkself player and other close companions travelled all the way from his African homeland Burkina Faso. The 45-minute film shows Tapsoba's extraordinary career from his beginnings in Ouagadougou to Leverkusen as well as the work of his foundation "Fondation Edmond Tapsoba", with representatives from Burkina Faso also present. Fans can watch the documentary free of charge on Werkself TV and YouTube from Wednesday night at 20:00 CEST.
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Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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The Werkself returned from the near one-month break in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga with a convincing victory at home. Roberto Pätzold's side beat SC Freiburg 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Katharina Piljic, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, Cornelia Kramer and Carlotta Wamser ensuring a 13th win of the season at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The Black and Reds, who are now on 40 points, move up to fourth place at least overnight.
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