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"We have to produce our best performance on the pitch tomorrow. We've only played one game so far. We did win it but there are things that we could certainly improve on," explained Xabi Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Friday 25 August.
“Last weekend's successful opener against Leipzig (3-2, ed.) was definitely important," stressed the Spaniard but now the focus is on looking forwards to the first game on the road. Alonso: "We've taken the first step and now, of course, we want to win away too. The match against Mönchengladbach will be difficult for us." The 41-year-old coach knows about the "rivalry between the two clubs" and is therefore expecting an "emotional" match.
For the encounter with the Foals, Alonso will again have to manage without the injured Patrick Schick as well as the suspended Piero Hincapie and Amine Adli.
The clash on Saturday night will bring reunions for Bayer 04 and Borussia. The Werkself led by skipper Lukas Hradecky are up against the current BMG head coach and Alonso predecessor Gerardo Seoane for the first time since he took over the Foals at the beginning of June.
Alonso only had words of praise for the Swiss manager: "Gerardo is a good coach. Everybody at Bayer 04 only says positive things about him. Unfortunately there wasn't any contact back then. Therefore I'm very much looking forward to meeting him on Saturday and catching up with that moment."
The two new signings Jonas Hofmann and Granit Xhaka will also meet up with familiar faces on Saturday. Xhaka played for the Foals from 2012 to 2016, Hofmann was still at Gladbach last season. "It will definitely be a special and emotional game for him," said Alonso.
Alonso will once again be able to count on outstanding support from the stands in Saturday's match against the Foals: Over 3,000 Bayer 04 fans are set to be at BORUSSIA PARK for the first Werkself away game in the new season.
Bayer 04 are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal after a 4-0 win at Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday night. The game was paused after only 18 minutes due to a storm over the ground. After a lengthy delay, play resumed and Patrik Schick opened the scoring. Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alejandro Grimaldo made things more comfortable in the second half, as the fourth-tier side had two players sent off.
Show moreThere were no goals across 115 minutes of football between Bayer 04 Women and PSV Eindhoven in Friday’s friendly. Roberto Pätzold’s team played two 45-minute periods before an extra 25 minutes two days prior to heading to Rieden for their training camp. Their Dutch opponents were preparing for their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier in 12 days.
Show moreThe first round of the DFB Pokal takes Bayer 04 to Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday. The amateur club have just gained promotion to the fourth-tier Regionalliga Südwest and kicked off their campaign with two impressive wins. Here’s all you need to know as Erik ten Hag makes his competitive bow as Werkself boss at the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena (kick-off: 6pm CEST).
Show moreAfter two months preparing for the new season, the Werkself play the first game of the 2025/26 campaign on Friday, 15 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) away to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB Pokal. Ahead of the tie against the team newly promoted to the Regional League South West, head coach Erik ten Hag talked about his approach to the knockout game and his soft spot for cup competitions.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen has a new Premium Partner in its ranks in Düsseldorf company LumenHaus GmbH. The leading provider of networked home energy solutions has initially agreed a one-year partnership with the Bundesliga runners-up to the end of the 2025/26 season.
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