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"It was an incredible night, which I also need to process first," reflected the Spaniard. "None of us had much sleep. We need to forget the Europa League for now, though, and focus fully on Sunday. We're in a good position in the Bundesliga. It's the last match before the international break. We absolutely want to end this block with a win," added Alonso. According to the 41-year-old, that requires above all "a lot of emotionality, just like in the European games. But first and foremost, we want to have control of the game."
Alonso is expecting a hard-fought contest against head coach Christian Streich's side, "a top team with intelligent players and a very competitive coach with a lot of experience in the club".
The Bayer 04 boss also highlighted the opponents' flexibility: "They can play in a very nice, dominant way but they can also adapt very well in difficult matches. They're strong from set pieces, too." They therefore need "to be ready for all scenarios", added the Spaniard.
There was good news on Jonas Hofmann. "The scan has shown that it's not a muscle strain. We'll see for Sunday," confirmed Alonso.
Meanwhile, patience is required with Victor Boniface. The striker is making good progress, and they want to make good use of the international break. "He's close to getting back onto the pitch," revealed Alonso. "If it goes well, he could play a part against Hoffenheim, but we have patience."
Victory over SCF would already confirm Leverkusen's participation in next season's UEFA Champions League. Alonso is ambitious: "We already said in the summer that we had this goal. Now we can realise that and we want to achieve it on Sunday."
The Werkself will be supported in this task by 3,400 travelling fans in Freiburg. Just like recent away matches, the away section is again sold out.
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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