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Xabi Alonso played at countless stadiums throughout Europe during his playing career. Molde's home ground was not one of them. "It's really beautiful here. The stadium, the sea, the town," said the Spaniard at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday evening. Of course, the Werkself have not travelled to see the fjords and waterfalls in the most northerly venue in the current Europa League campaign.
Alonso and his team will be looking to build on the 4-0 opening win against Häcken at the Molde Stadium with its capacity of just over 11,000 located on the shore of the fjord. The conditions for the clash with the Norwegian champions are unusual for the Werkself as they will play for the next points in Group H on an artificial pitch. Alonso did not pay much attention to the artificial pitch: "The ball bounces differently and the running is different. But the artificial pitch does not influence our selection. We don't have any concerns about it. For us, it is all about the best tactical decisions."
Like the Werkself head coach, Victor Boniface was on the podium on Wednesday evening to answer questions from Norwegian and German media representatives. The 22-year-old striker played for Bodø/Glimt in Norway’s Eliteserien from 2019 to 2022 where he came up against Molde as an opponent. "I scored my first professional goal in Molde. Therefore the club and the stadium will always be a special memory." The fact the Werkself will be playing on an artificial pitch in Molde is irrelevant for Boniface: "It won't make any difference to us. We've come here to win."
Alonso almost has a full squad to choose from. From the players registered for the Bayer 04 Europa League squad, the only absentees are Arthur and Patrik Schick with the recently sidelined Noah Mbamba back in the squad. The Spanish coach has a lot of quality to select his starting line-up from. But Alonso did not give the journalists an insight into which players he would opt for: "All the players are ready. Making changes is an option." And the choice between Lukas Hradecky and Matej Kovar, who was in goal against Häcken, remained open on Wednesday evening.
For Alonso the matchday is not only special because of the game against the Norwegian champions: The 41-year-old will have been head coach at Bayer 04 exactly a year ago on Thursday. "That milestone means something to me," explained Alonso. "A lot has happened in that time, mostly positive. The record is good and both the team and our game have continued to develop." At the same time, the Spaniard said he "prefers to look forward rather than back. We worked hard for the successful start and deserved it because of that. But now it's important to carry on with the same level of concentration."
There will be support for Bayer 04 at the most northerly venue in this current Europa League campaign: 300 Black and Red fans will support the Werkself at the Molde Stadium.
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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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