Yes, I'd like to see videos dispalyed.
“We’ve got an important game coming up on Sunday. We need to recover today and then prepare well tomorrow. Frankfurt are one of the division’s top teams. They play with a lot of tempo and high energy, have a good coach and strong players,” Alonso said. The Spaniard also spoke about Mario Götze, who he played with at Bayern Munich: “Mario is a very special player. I remember how he would always make the right decision in tight spaces. I enjoyed playing with him. Now he’s matured and grown up more.”
What isn’t clear is which Eintracht will show up at the BayArena on Sunday. They were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal at the start of December by third-tier Saarbrücken but have since thrashed Bayern 5-1 in the Bundesliga. Then during the week, the Eagles were beaten 2-0 at Aberdeen in the UEFA Europa Conference League despite a dominant display. However, Alonso is expecting the “Bayern version” this weekend. The 42-year-old stressed that “we don’t compare ourselves with other teams. It’s not important how Frankfurt played against Aberdeen or Bayern. We focus on ourselves.”
After a little over a year at the Bayer 04 helm, Alonso was asked with the winter break coming for a summary of his time so far in Germany. “My family and I feel very good here in Germany. That’s very important, gives me the stability to focus on my work as best as possible,” the coach stated. Summing up the season so far, he added: “Being top over the winter break would obviously be good, but it doesn’t mean anything. Although, our current run is special. The challenge now is to keep going and maintain this current mentality and consistency.”
When asked about the possibility of an investor getting involved with the DFL, Alonso said: “The Bundesliga has great resonance around the world. For example, we don’t just have Bayer 04 fans in Germany but also in Spain, Argentina or Japan. In my opinion, we should maintain football’s traditions, but we also need perspective and need to continue to develop because we are in competition with the other major European leagues. The atmosphere and support from fans in Germany is special. We shouldn’t be fearful but positive and look ahead.”
There are set to be 30,210 fans inside the BayArena cheering on the Werkself for the penultimate fixture of 2023. The stadium is once again sold out in the Bundesliga.
The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').
Show more
Bayer 04 will have to manage without striker Christian Kofane in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old sustained a muscle injury to his left thigh on international duty with the Cameroon national team during the recent international break. This will prevent him from playing in the upcoming Werkself matches.
Show more
FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
Show more
Fans ask, Carolin Simon answers: As part of Bayer 04’s second Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, the Leverkusen captain took questions from the community. The full-back, who returned to the club this summer after ten years away, set aside an hour and a half for the Q&A session with fans, offering a very personal insight into, amongst other things, her daily life as a footballer and her role as captain, as well as her passion for Pokémon.
Show more
