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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.
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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