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The Werkself face "one of the toughest away games of the season. It's always difficult to play there," said Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. "They absolutely deserve their position in the table (ninth, ed.). In the 2-1 win for FCH in Bremen, Alonso identified the strength of the next opponents in three areas: "They were top with set pieces, in counter-attacks and they have a brilliant team spirit. That all makes Heidenheim very dangerous." In addition, head coach Frank Schmidt is "a brilliant person and a great coach with a huge passion for football."
For the first time this year, Alonso is able to include Odilon Kossounou in the matchday squad for the game against Heidenheim. The defender won the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in his home country a few days ago and he will train with his Leverkusen teammates again for the first time today. Alonso: "We are all very happy for Odi and we congratulated him on his return yesterday. He's come back in very good spirits and he had a brilliant tournament."
While Granit Xhaka, who received a knock in the game against Bayern Munich, is ready for the match in Heidenheim, Exequiel Palacios is still sidelined. Also unavailable are the injured players Arthur and Victor Boniface.
The Werkself go into the game against FC Heidenheim with a boost on the back of wins against the top teams from Stuttgart (3-2 in the DFB-Pokal quarter-final) and Munich (3-0 in the Bundesliga home game). "We're not looking back but are fully focused on the next challenge. Only the next game counts for us – that's how we've approached it from the start of the season," declared Alonso whose team will have the support of 2,000 travelling fans in a full away end at the Voith Arena.
Asked about his father Periko Alonso, who was also a Spain international and professional coach, Bayer 04 head coach said: "Of course, football is always on the agenda in my house. We regularly talk about games and opponents. His opinion is the most important thing for me, he has a big influence on me and is my big role model. He always finds the right words and always remains calm."
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…
Show moreTo all Bayer 04 fans: The Fanwelt will be closed all day next Monday 30 June. This is due to preparations for the change of kit supplier from Castore to New Balance on Tuesday 1 July.
Show moreThe Norway U23 international Julie Jorde has completed the move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Brøndby IF. The twelve-time champions of Denmark have signed the midfielder on permanent terms after her loan move from the Bundesliga to Denmark in the winter.
Show moreIt is almost two years since Bayer 04 new signing Abdoulaye Faye first stepped foot into the BayArena as a player for the Swedish club BK Häcken in the opening match in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign. A day before his nineteenth birthday, the central defender did not play in the 4-0 win for the Werkself but it was "an incredible night" for him on 21 September 2023 as he explained in his first interview on bayer04.de. "I watched the players and saw the fans. I liked it." It was also the first European night early on in his career. He only joined the then champions of Sweden in the cold north of Europe from his home in Senegal a few weeks before that special moment. Bayer04.de profiles our new defender.
Show moreWelcome, Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old Senegalese central defender joins Leverkusen from top-flight Swedish club BK Häcken. In his first interview he talks about his move to Bayer 04 and his targets with the Werkself.
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