"We have recovered and are motivated for the next challenge in the Bundesliga," declared Xabi Alonso three days after the Champions League match at Liverpool (0-4). "Whether it's against Liverpool or Bochum, we always prepare in the same way. What we need are concentration and the right mentality over the whole game. If we can do that then we’ll go into the international break feeling positive."
Before that, the Werkself face a tricky task at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. VfL Bochum are currently bottom with one point from nine games and share the worst start to a season in Bundesliga history (alongside Fürth in 2021/22 and Saarbrücken in the first Bundesliga season in 1963/64). Alonso: "The table and Bochum's number of points are irrelevant, it's always difficult at VfL. They have a clear DNA marked by high intensity and lots of passion with the atmosphere at the stadium also always playing a role."
In addition, Bochum have brought in a new head coach in Dieter Hecking who has plenty of experience in the Bundesliga. The 60-year-old coach, up until May the sporting managing director at FC Nürnberg, took over the coaching role at VfL at the start of the week and he will be in the dugout for the first time against the Werkself.
As was the case in Liverpool, Martin Terrier is not fit for the game against Bochum. Alonso on the French forward: "He won't be in the squad even though he already feels much better. If everything goes as planned then he will be back against Heidenheim after the international break."
Nordi Mukiele, Jeanuel Belocian and Amine Adli also remain on the sidelines. The latter extended his contract at Bayer 04 on Friday to run to 2028. Alonso on the Morocco international currently out with a broken leg: "He's very important on the pitch and in the dressing room. He has a great connection to his teammates, he speaks lots of languages. I and we are all happy that he'll stay here for a long time."
2,750 fans will support the Werkself in Bochum with the away section sold out. The fan information can be found HERE.
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 personalised 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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Heiko Scholz was born on 7 January 1966 in Görlitz. His first club as a youth player was Dynamo Görlitz. From there, he moved up to the sports school in Dresden and played in the youth teams at SG Dynamo Dresden from 1978-1982. Not considered good enough, Scholle, as he was nicknamed, had to leave the sports school to play his last two youth years at ISG Hagenwerder. Via BSG Chemie Leipzig and 1.FC Lokomotive Leipzig, who Heiko won the DDR Pokal with in 1987 and he also reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final (a 1-0 defeat against Ajax), his path finally led him back to his favourite club, Dynamo Dresden. For one million Deutschmarks, the highest transfer fee ever paid for a player in the former GDR, he moved from Lok Leipzig to the capital of Saxony in 1990.
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Stefan Kießling was born on 25 January 1984 in Lichtenfels, Franconia. Even as a young boy, he spent countless hours on the football pitches of his home town, chasing after the ball and dreaming of playing football. His parents supported him, but they bring him up in a down-to-earth manner - hard work, honesty and modesty are values that characterise him from an early age. His talent became apparent early on, but his ambition was even more striking. Kießling always wants to improve, wants to give more than others.
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On Sunday 26 January 1936, the local derby between relegation-threatened BV Wiesdorf and league leaders SSV ‘Bayer’ Leverkusen took place in the first district league of the Rhein-Wupper district. On the old BV Wiesdorf pitch, where the Leverkusen job centre is today, 1,800 spectators gather to watch the match.
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It is Friday, 31 January 1986, the derby in Cologne is coming up and we're full of confidence after the home win against Hamburg SV a week earlier, having turned a 2-0 deficit at the break into a 3-2 victory. In particular, the Greek amateur player Minas Hantzidis, who came on as a half-time substitute, turned the game around. Two goals from Bum-kun Cha and a penalty from Christian Schreier gave us two important points in the battle for a UEFA Cup place. We are one point behind the North Germans in fifth place in the table, six points ahead of our neighbours from Cologne.
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