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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.
During the first international break of the 2026/27 season, set to last just under three weeks, nine Bayer 04 first-team players are in action with their respective national teams. Read on for updates on matches featuring Werkself players…
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Whenever the leading figures in European club football come together, Bayer 04 are right in the thick of it: At the 33rd General Assembly of the European Football Clubs (EFC) in Copenhagen, Fernando Carro, CEO, and Simon Rolfes, Managing Director Sport, discussed key sporting and economic issues for the future.
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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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