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“The feeling and mood within the team are good and all of us are really looking forward to the final,” said Xabi Alonso on Wednesday afternoon. “After winning the league, we can achieve great success in the Europa League and then the DFB Pokal as well.”
The opponents in the final, Atalanta, are fifth in the table in Serie A and on course for a Champions League finish also thanks to current impressive form with 13 points gained in the last five league games. Like the Werkself, the North Italian side are in the final of the Italian cup competition with Juventus providing the opposition tonight in the Coppa Italia. In the Europa League, they have knocked out Sporting CF, Liverpool and Olympique Marseille. “Atalanta are currently one of the toughest opponents in Europe,” said Alonso.
The 42-year-old Spaniard shared words of praise for his fellow coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The 66-year-old Italian has coached Atalanta since the summer of 2016. Alonso: “He has a clear plan and built up a team with strong mentality and high quality in depth. They are a top team. We’ll have a chance if we produce our best form. It will be a great final, very tight and interesting for the fans.”
While Alonso won nearly every competition in his time as a player, winning the Europa League remains to be achieved. He can now make that up as a head coach. Asked about that, the title-winning Leverkusen coach declared: “My trophies as a player are in the past. Now it’s time to win titles as a coach.”.
The fact this season has turned out to be such a great success was something Alonso did not foresee last summer. “We have a clear target of qualifying for the Champions League. On top of that, we wanted to play good and attractive football. Winning the Bundesliga and being in two finals was not necessarily realistic in August. But after two or three games we saw early on what was possible and that we could achieve something exceptional”
One factor in the success, named by Alonso, is day-to-day work plus open communication between the players and the coaching staff. “We learn from each other every day and I’ve learned a lot as a coach in the time up to now. We have done very well so far even though there have been a couple of mistakes of course. Now we will focus fully on the last Bundesliga game and prepare for the two finals.”
Reinforcement in attack: Bayer 04 Leverkusen have secured the transfer of striker Maja Sternad from Bundesliga rivals SV Werder Bremen. The 22-year-old has signed a contract until 30 June 2028.
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It's a thrilling situation: as the season draws to a close, Stuttgart and Bayer 04 are heading into the home stretch almost neck and neck. After 32 games, with 17 wins, seven draws and eight defeats each, both teams are on 58 points. Even in terms of goals scored, VfB and the Werkself are level on 66. The Black and Reds have conceded just three fewer goals (43) than their rivals (46), which is why they sit one place behind fourth-placed Leverkusen. This Saturday, 9 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), the two teams go head to head at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with full-back Arthur ahead of schedule. The Werkself have agreed a new deal with the Brazilian to 30 June 2031. The 23-year-old was previously under contract to the summer of 2028.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen continue building the squad for the new season in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. The 25-year-old midfielder Marlene Müller has joined the club from RB Leipzig on a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 are introducing changes to the ticket price structure for the 2026/27 season. In addition to adjusting the ticket prices, the ticket categories will also be reorganised. All season ticket holders have already been informed of the changes by e-mail. The most important information at a glance.
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