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“The winter break was good for us, enjoying a breather with our families. But now we’re glad to get going again,” Alonso stated at his press conference on Friday. “The players have come back with very good energy and in a good condition. We had a high tempo in training from the start. I also liked the friendly match [against Venezia]. We’re absolutely ready, although it’s always tough in Augsburg.” The Werkself in fact lost both meetings with the Bavarians last season.
Augsburg have been much better under Jess Thorup, earning 13 of their 18 points this season since the Dane took over in mid-October. “They’ve very much improved since then, also playing well in their friendly against Hoffenheim [1-0 win],” added Alonso. Augsburg rank bottom of the Bundesliga this season for possession (41.2%), while the Werkself are second with (60.7%), just behind Bayern Munich (61%).
Bayer 04 go to Augsburg without the injured Arthur and Victor Boniface, while Odilon Kossounou, Edmond Tapsoba and Amine Adli are competing at the Africa Cup of Nations. “We were prepared for the situation with the Cup of Nations,” Alonso explained. “We have a good squad and everyone is looking good.”
One of those is Patrik Schick, who bagged a hat-trick in the final game of last year against Bochum. “Patrik is very dangerous in the box and has excellent positional play. He’s also ready for 90 minutes,” the Spaniard stated before also mentioning: “Adam [Hlozek] can play there as well and is in good form. Same with Amine. We’ve got great confidence in every player in general.” It means the club is not under any pressure to sign any additional players. When asked, however, Alonso added: “But if a good option comes up, we’re ready.”
The Werkself will enjoy great support in Augsburg with 2,300 away fans accompanying the team, which is three times more than have ever watched Leverkusen at the WWK Arena.
The club can also announce at the start of this year that the number of away season tickets sold over the winter break has risen by over 200%.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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