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“You need to win every game you play. We want a good performance against Werder. The clear goal is a win. We’ve had an intense, good week with lots of training sessions – we needed that. We were able to work on lots of things and are now looking forward to the match,” said Ten Hag at Friday’s pre-match press conference.
Asked about the 2-1 loss to Hoffenheim in the opening game and lessons from that, the Dutchman stated: “We can do a lot of things better – we know that and also showed that in some of our pre-season games. We were more compact, more dynamic. But we lacked that dynamism against Hoffenheim. We’ve worked on that. We’ve spoken about the reasons and corrected them. We need to implement them tomorrow.”
Speaking about Werder, who have won just one of their last 10 meetings with the Werkself, the boss added: “Bremen have a good and experienced coach. He did great work previously with Elversberg. They have a lot of new and exciting players and clear structures. We’ll give our best.”
Asked about new signings Lucas Vázquez, Loïc Badé and Claudio Echeverri, Ten Hag explained: “Lucas isn’t ready to start. He played the Club World Cup last month and is now building back up. He’s only been here a few days and has only done some parts of training with the team. The same goes for Loïc, who was injured and has only been in full training for a few days. Claudio has done every session this week and taken some steps forward.”
In terms of Exequiel Palacios, Jonas Hofmann and Malik Tillman, he added: “They haven’t trained all week but only some parts, but were fully involved yesterday. We’ve got final training today and will then see in terms of their involvement.”
Ten Hag was also asked about yesterday's Champions League draw, saying: “We’ve got a good pool of top opponents. We’re excited about every game. It’ll be demanding, but it’s a great challenge. Obviously I’m excited about the game against Eindhoven. Peter Bosz and I know each other well. I once worked for Eindhoven and he here in Leverkusen.”
Speaking about the competition’s format, he added: “An advantage is that you get lots of top teams, which is great for the fans. For example, they can look forward to a home game against Paris Saint-German, the current Champions League holders. They didn’t finish the league phase in the top eight but still won. That’s a good example of how a team can develop. You don’t win the Champions League in the first weeks.”
However, Ten Hag’s focus is first on Saturday’s game in Bremen. There will be great support for the Werkself with 3,800 fans from Leverkusen in attendance at the Weserstadion.
From his arrival at the airport, the medical and contract signing, right through to photo shoots, his very own trading card and his first interview at the BayArena: Werkself TV followed new signing Afonso Moreira up close on his first day in Leverkusen. In the interview, the 21-year-old Portuguese left-winger, who has joined the Werkself from Lyon, talks about his excitement ahead of joining Bayer 04 and the Bundesliga, as well as his conversation with head coach Carles Martínez. Moreira also reveals the secret behind his iconic goal celebration – which he intends to perform “as often as possible” at the BayArena next season...
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A new signing for the U19s: Bayer 04 have signed winger Clinton Wilson from Schalke 04. The 18-year-old previously played for Leverkusen youth teams from January to June 2024.
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After eight years, Ida Daedelow is set to leave Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The 18-year-old, whose original contract was due to run to 2027, is joining second-division side VfL Bochum.
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As with the other youth teams (U16 to U19), Bayer 04 are also relying on familiar faces—some in new roles—and fresh impetus from the coaching staff for the 2026/27 season in the younger age groups. An overview of the U11 to U15 teams.
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