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"We're playing against top opponents in good form," declared head coach Xabi Alonso at the start of the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The 41-year-old knows the strengths of the Leipzig team and warned accordingly of the playing style of the team from Saxony. "Marco Rose (RB Leipzig head coach, ed.) has put together a strong team since he's been at Leipzig and they are pursuing a very convincing way of playing that was impressively demonstrated in the Supercup." In the clash between the champions and the DFB Pokal winners, RB Leipzig beat Bayern Munich 3-0 to secure the first trophy of the 2023/24 season.
The Werkself can go into Saturday's game in confident mood having impressed in the 8-0 DFB Pokal win against FC Teutonia 05 Ottensen. For the league opener, Alonso is calling for a controlled and thoughtful performance from his team: "We want to build a mentality from tomorrow that we can take with us through the season."
In the opening match against the Leipzig team the absentees are Patrik Schick and Sardar Azmoun plus the suspended Piero Hincapie and Amine Adli. Gustavo Puerta, who missed the DFB Pokal tie in Hamburg due to a hand operation, will be back in the squad for Saturday’s game.
On the current euphoric atmosphere at Bayer 04 Alonso declared: "We feel the anticipation from the fans for the new season and we are equally excited about tomorrow and all the games ahead. There's an outstanding mood and energy at the moment – on every level."
In relation to the premature celebrations that Bayer 04 are receiving from many sides at the moment, the Spanish coach warned against an overeager performance and remarked: "We haven't got started yet. We are not naïve. Time will show where we stand. We will need the support of the fans in every match going forwards. The fans are expecting a good performance – and that's what we want to produce."
The anticipation for the start of the league campaign is reflected in the attendance figures: All the home sections for the Bundesliga opener against RB Leipzig have been sold out.
Having progressed to the DFB Pokal Round of 16, the Bayer 04 Women do not have much time before their next Bundesliga fixture. On Friday night (18:30 CEST), coach Roberto Pätzold’s side kick off matchday six at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium against Werder Bremen – and they have a clear mission.
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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 working 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 personal 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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Bayer 04 host top French club Marseille at the BayArena on matchday four in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League group stage. The match kicks off on Thursday 5 November at 21:00 CET. The latest information on ticket sales.
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During the international break, Bayer 04 will face third-division newcomers SC Fortuna Köln on Friday 2 October (kick-off: 11:00 CEST). The match will be played on training pitch 1 at the BayArena, as preparations are already underway at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for the Bayer 04 women’s Bundesliga home match against Werder Bremen, which is due to kick off in the early evening. To ensure the friendly against Fortuna Köln runs smoothly and without disruption, it will be played behind closed doors.
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