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"We will face top opponents with a good coach and high individual and collective quality. The match in the Hinrunde was very intense and we are expecting another tough game," said Xabi Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. "We have to be flexible and act quickly to have the right approach to the different phases of the game," added the 43-year-old.
The Spaniard sees the strengths of the Frankfurt team in their tactical versatility: "They can play with a back three or a back four. In addition, they are very good in transition." The stats prove the latter: Eintracht Frankfurt are top in terms of goal scored in counter-attacks.
In response to a question on his first away game as Bayer 04 coach in October 2022, when the Werkself lost 5-1 in Frankfurt, Alonso said: "I've not forgotten the game but it’s not really relevant in preparing for tomorrow. A lot has happened since then and our development regarding the squad as well as the mentality of the team is very positive. The same goes for Frankfurt." The team from Hessen are having their best season in decades – 42 points after 23 games is only one less than the club record (1978/79 and 1989/90 with 43 points, calculated according to the three points for a win rule).
Alonso also highlighted: "The defeat for Frankfurt against Bayern (4-0 to FCB last Saturday, the first league defeat for Frankfurt in 2025, ed.) is not a reference point for tomorrow." And he added: "We will always give our all. There are no games where that isn't the case and we always field the best possible team."
Alonso will have to manage without defender Piero Hincapie against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Ecuadorian picked up his fifth yellow card last weekend in the game at newcomers Holstein Kiel (2-0, ed.). Edmond Tapsoba and Nordi Mukiele are one booking away from suspension with four yellow cards each. Otherwise Alonso announced there was "no new news" in terms of personnel.
The Werkself will have the support of 5,300 Bayer 04 fans at the Deutsche Bank Park with the whole allocation for the away section taken up. The top match will be broadcast live on Sky with Werkself Radio reporting as usual from 30 minutes before kick-off.
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 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 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
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Two months of preparation, five friendlies and the return of a familiar training camp location: After finishing fifth in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga last season, the Werkself will return to training on Tuesday, 23 June. Bayer04.de outlines the key dates in the 2026 summer timetable.
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With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
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