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The Werkself made a successful start to the new season with two wins in two Bundesliga games while the Lilies are still looking for their first points in the top-flight on the back of losing the DFB-Pokal tie against fourth tier FC Homburg 08. Xabi Alonso is expecting a tricky opponent at the weekend: "We have to be wide awake and focused on our game. The match against Darmstadt will be a tough one. Their game features a lot of set pieces and long balls. We have to control these situations. Against supposedly weaker opponents, we definitely don't want to make any avoidable mistakes," said Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.
The approach to the last match before the forthcoming international break is clear: The Spaniard added: “We want to win our third league match before the break. That's our declared target."
Patrik Schick, Piero Hincapie plus the suspended Amine Adli are still unavailable. Timothy Fosu-Mensah is also ruled out due to a knee injury. New signing Nathan Tella and Nadiem Amiri will be in the squad.
Almost all the tickets for the Darmstadt game have been sold. There will be an away ticket office on the matchday.
In addition to the Bundesliga game, the members of the media present were also interested in the draw for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League 23/24 that took place just before the press conference. The Werkself will play three champions in Group H in Qarabag (Azerbaijan), Molde (Norway) and BK Häcken (Sweden). Alonso: "Our prime focus is on the Darmstadt game but we are very much looking forward to the Europa League. That is a reward for the hard work from last season. We want to compete and obviously go as far as we can. The group stage won't be easy. We will go into all the games with maximum respect."
The Spaniard then went into more detail on last season in the European competition and why the progress to the semi-finals is above all a special motivation for the new season in Europe: "We had very good experiences and went far. Getting so close to the final makes us hungry for more.”
Bayer 04 taking the home game against Darmstadt as occasion for the first Bayer Sports Family matchday. The historic connection between Bayer 04, TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Bayer AG is being revived under the Cross with joint events like the family matchday and other events. The programme starts with the opening of the stadium at 13.30 CEST in the concourse at the BayArena with a wide range of highlights. Information on the Bayer Sports Family matchday can be found HERE.
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The Nerazzurri are in town: Today, Tuesday 10 December, Bayer 04 entertain the reigning champions of Italy Inter Milan on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Read on for the latest information on the home game at the BayArena.
Show moreThe Bayer 04 U19 team lost 1-0 to Inter Milan on the sixth and final matchday in the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2024/25. The only goal of the game was scored just after the hour mark. While the side from North Italy have finished top in the league phase with a maximum points return, the Leverkusen team appeared to have just missed out on the knockout stages of the European competition. There is faint hope looking to several games to follow where results are needed to go the way of the Werkself.
Show moreItalian teams are known for being strong in defence. The fact that Inter Milan, the next opponents for the Werkself in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 20.45 CET), have not conceded a single goal in their last five matches is impressive. Will the visitors' keeper Yann Sommer be able to keep a clean sheet at the BayArena against Florian Wirtz and Co.? The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 16. The game at the Signal Iduna Park on Friday, 10 January 2025, kicks off at 20.30 CET. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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