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"We are expecting a highly motivated opponent," said Xabi Alonso at the pre-match press conference on Friday morning. The Spanish coach is aware of the heady mood at the Hamburg team who have made a successful start to the new season. Teutonia are currently league leaders in the Regional League North after two wins on the first two matchdays and they have scored ten goals without conceding any.
The Werkself can go into the cup clash in confident mood. Leverkusen impressed recently in the friendlies away to Olympique Marseille (2-1) and at home to West Ham United (4-0). Alonso: "We've had a good preseason and a successful training camp where we were able to work on a lot of things. We are 100% ready and we’ll give our all. We go into the cup game feeling good and, of course, we want to do better than last year."
The 41-year-old manager sees the early cup exit from last season as a "wake-up call." But refreshing the squad makes him optimistic: "We are at a good level. We've been able to bring in several new players who can help us straightaway with their experience and energy. We want to go as far as we can in the cup," declared Alonso.
The following players miss the Hamburg game due to injury: Patrik Schick, Piero Hincapie, Sardar Azmoun and Gustavo Puerta. Alejandro Grimaldo is fit again and will travel to Hamburg on Friday afternoon.
The ambitious Spaniard wants to achieve a lot with the Black and Reds not only in the DFB Cup but also in all other competitions and he sees in Bayer 04 a great opportunity to realise his targets. Alonso: "I'm very happy here at this club. Leverkusen is the perfect place for me to carry on developing at the moment. I'm very happy to be able to continue working with Werner Wenning, Fernando Carro, Simon Rolfes and everybody else. We are all highly motivated and are pursuing the same vision."
In response to the question about targets in the Bundesliga this season, Alonso said: "We are only just in August and everybody's a champion in August. The final reckoning comes in May. (He laughs) We'll see what’s possible this season and where we end up." Alonso also referred to the new campaign in the UEFA Europa League: "We were very close to the final last season. That was great. But that's in the past and we are looking forwards now."
And the fans, who supported the Werkself last term in the most impressive way, are also looking forward to the new season. Over 2,500 will get behind the Black and Reds on Saturday at the game against Teutonia Ottensen at the Millerntor Stadium. The Werkself will wear the new, cyan blue third kit for the first time against Ottensen.
The match in Hamburg will also be a first for Alonso: The game against Teutonia 05 will be the first DFB Cup tie for the Spaniard as a coach.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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