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“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.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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