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“Every game is hard. We’ve learned that. I’m expecting my team to play with intelligence and maturity. We’re preparing with full respect, just as well as we did against Bayern or Milan,” Alonso stressed on Friday afternoon.
Kiel are playing in the Bundesliga for the first time in their history this season but sit bottom of the table after five games. Their only point so far has come from a 2-2 draw away at Bochum. Asked about the promoted side, Alonso said: “They may have only one point, but normally they’d earn more. They’re a good team who play well. They have a young and aspiring coach in Marcel Rapp. I’ve analysed Holstein Kiel well. They’ve done some fantastic things in the past. We need to be ready for them.”
Alonso was also asked about potential rotation given the intensity of the past week with two big games. “It could be that other players play, but we’ll see what happens. We have a good squad and all the players are ready to play. They show a top attitude in every training session. The important thing is that we build on our good defensive work. It’s worked better the last few times. We kept a clean sheet against Milan. That was important, and now we want that as well in the Bundesliga.”
Saturday’s game is Alonso’s 100th in charge of the Werkself in all competitions. It will also be exactly two years since he took over on 5 October 2022. Asked about his spell at the helm so far, he said: “A lot has happened, and we’ve all been through a lot together. The development of the entire club and the team is great, and I’m proud to be a part of this process. I’ve learned a lot, and at times it was very hard. I won’t forget the first few months in particular. I hope we can celebrate together with a win tomorrow.”
The Spaniard was also asked to give a summary of the season so far after eight games, saying: “It’s still very early. We’re making good progress and still in all competitions. But we’re still only thinking one game at a time, one block at a time. We want to end this block before the international break with a win against Kiel.”
The BayArena is already sold out for this final game before the international break, including around 2,800 travelling Kiel supporters.
Trophies as a youth, appearances in the pro game and his first taste of international competition: new arrival Luca Erlein, who has been signed from TSG Hoffenheim, can already look back on some remarkable achievements and moments in his fledgling career. We take a closer look at the 19-year-old right-back, who can also fill other roles across the defensive line.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new coffee partner. The club has agreed a long-term partnership with the Bocholt-based roastery Imping, running to 30 June 2031. The exclusive partnership with the family-run business includes the installation of fully automatic coffee machines at the BayArena, as well as the right to supply and serve coffee products in the business areas during Werkself home games.
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Plenty going on both on and off the pitch: The Bayer 04 fan support team has organised a number of highlights for fans visiting the Werkself 2026/27 summer training camp in Blankenhain, in the Weimarer Land region. Registration for the events is now open. All the details at a glance.
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The Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team and s2-Software are continuing their long-term partnership: The Werkself and the provider of pre-owned Microsoft licences have extended their contract by two years to 2028. This means s2-Software will remain the Bayer 04 sleeve sponsor for all matches in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga.
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BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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