...the last two league games against Wolfsburg (1-4) and Freiburg (1-0): We produced a focussed performance in Freiburg. You can’t ignore how well and with intensity Wolfsburg and Freiburg defend. Every team finds it hard going against those two sides. In addition, it’s now well known that our tempo in attack can be very dangerous. That has led to opponents not allowing us as much space to play on the break. We still have five games to go where we’ll find other means and ways and we’ll have to see what weapons we can use for each game.
...the next opponents FC Bayern: They always have a lot more possession than their opponents and are good at pressing and counter-pressing under Hansi Flick. They are aggressive and are quick to opponents under pressure. You can see that from watching them and the stats show it as well. We’ll face a team on Saturday who will be up for the game, very intensive in challenges and will want to win the ball high up the pitch. We had a similar sort of game in Munich. And, nevertheless, there was space and we found it. We want to do the same at the weekend.
...the tight race in the Bundesliga for a Champions League finish: The high standard of the top five is impressive. There are few slip-ups. There are still five games to play and some very important games coming up in quick succession.
…the messages from the Bundesliga players Jadon Sancho, Weston McKennie, Marcus Thuram and Anthony Modeste at the weekend following the death of the African American George Floyd in the USA: I think the messages sent from the Bundesliga so far have mainly been positive and very commendable. For example, if I think of Wendell, who also has religious messages on his undershirt, then they are primarily encouraging and decent messages. It’s about solidarity and humanity. In the specific case of a negative or questionable message, the club or association can intervene.
…the recent restart of league fixtures in his home country Austria: I’m very happy for them. They have matches coming up in the next few weeks – similar to the third division in Germany. But the whole country has been waiting a long time for the comeback and the lockdown was very tough. Therefore, the players are now happy and are looking forward to playing again. The infrastructure and the health system in Austria are comparable with those in Germany.
Following the press conference, Baumgartlinger made himself available to Bayer 04 TV for an interview. Click HERE for the video.
After Jens Nowotny was officially named a Bayer 04 honorary captain last weekend, the long-standing Werkself player is part of the Leverkusen delegation on the trophy tour to New York City next week from 11 to 14 September. In an interview with bayer04.de, the 50-year-old talked about his expectations ahead of the trip to the metropolis on the East Coast of the USA.
Show moreThe German Football League (DFL) has confirmed the dates and kick-off times for matchdays 6 to 12 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Full details of the Bayer 04 fixtures.
Show moreMarkus Rehm, a long jumper at TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, won the gold medal for the fourth time in succession at the Paralympics on Wednesday.
Show moreThe fixture details for the second round of the DFB Pokal 2024/25 have been confirmed. The home tie for Bayer 04 against second division SV 07 Elversberg is on Tuesday, 29 October with the kick off at 18.00 CET (live on Sky). That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday.
Show more