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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.
From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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The draw for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 was made today, Friday 27 February: Bayer 04 face Premier League leaders Arsenal. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes sees the English team as a "top opponent" and is looking forward to meeting former Werkself players Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie again.
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After three consecutive victories, FSV Mainz 05 recently suffered setbacks against Borussia Dortmund (0-4) and Hamburger SV (1-1) in the battle to stay up. Nevertheless, the Mainz 05 performance curve has shown a clear upward trend in recent weeks. Their coach and a former Leverkusen player in particular have played a decisive role in this. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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