The Werkself away at Feyenoord - live blog

+++19 September, 16:50 CEST+++

The media team arrived at the stadium a few minutes ago, before Lukas Hradecky and the squad make their way to the venue in a few moments. As it was yesterday, the weather is excellent and there are already many fans around the stadium - a first evening in the UEFA Champions League couldn't be better. The last useful information for UCL Matchday 1 can be found once again in our matchday news. From now on, follow the match as usual on the club's own channels, in the live ticker on bayer04.de and the Bayer 04 app.

+++19 September, 14:14 CEST+++

And for those who want to prepare for tonight's game and opponent (or need reading material while travelling): Feyenoord are unbeaten in 24 games in the Eredivisie. However, they only have one win to their name this season and are currently sixth in the table. Click HERE for a detailed look at our opponent.

+++19 September, 13:17 CEST+++

While some of you are no doubt making your way to Rotterdam right now, we'll show you a few shots as a taster. Tall skyscrapers and striking buildings characterise the skyline of the modern city, which is also known as ‘Manhattan on the Meuse’. The city is particularly well known for its port, which is around 40 kilometres long - it is the largest in Europe and an important location for international trade. Rotterdam is also one of the most sustainable cities in the Netherlands and is known for innovation, art and culture. Architectural highlights include the Erasmus Bridge, which opened in 1996 and is around 800 metres long. Also, please read through the fan information again before you arrive. It contains all the important information about travelling to the stadium, safety recommendations and the conditions in and around the stadium. As usual, Bayer 04 fan support has also summarised all the information on departure after the match.

+++19 September, 11:57 CEST+++

The video analysis and pre-match briefing are done. The players have now also gone through their activation session, completing some stretches before a round of football-tennis on the hotel’s sixth floor. Everyone looks really excited to kick off in the Champions League this evening, but there was still no holding back in football-tennis. The team will have lunch now while we go out and explore Rotterdam a bit.

+++19 September, 09:37 CEST+++

The youngsters are already up and about with a little walk around the area before their activation in the hotel and breakfast. They’ll then head to the Varkenoord stadium in the early afternoon for their 14:00 kick-off in the Youth League. You can watch the game live with our stream on bayer04.de, in the app or on Werkself-TV.

+++19 September, 08:28 CEST+++

It’s finally matchday for Bayer 04 in the Champions League. The action gets under way in Rotterdam at 18:45 CEST, but this is the plan for the day. The team will have breakfast together before a morning video analysis session followed by their activation. They will then have lunch before making their way to De Kuip, where a crowd of around 42,000 is expected. The U19s are also in UEFA Youth League action in the afternoon.

+++18 September, 21:32 CEST+++

After their press conference, Alonso and Frimpong returned to the team hotel for dinner with the squad and to watch the day’s Champions League matches on TV. We’ll be back in the morning with more updates from Rotterdam!

+++18 September, 19:54 CEST+++

Head coach Xabi Alonso and wing-back Jeremie Frimpong spoke at the press conference about the anticipation for the opening match in Europe's premier club competition and a testing opponent. "The game here is special for me as I scored my first goal for the national team here. That will always stay with me," described Frimpong, who also revealed that a large chunk of his family, who live in Amsterdam, will be in attendance tomorrow. What's more, the motivation for the competition is massive. "Everyone wants to play in the Champions League at some point," said Alonso. "It's the biggest stage, so we're happy to be back on it. We have a challenging but exciting season ahead of us and are really looking forward to it." A full round-up of the press conference can be found HERE.

+++18 September, 19:22 CEST+++

We've arrived at the Stadion Feijenoord 'De Kuip'! Here's a quick glimpse at the historic ground, before the press conference gets under way...

+++18 September, 18:56 CEST+++

The Bayer 04 Youth League team have just inspected the venue for tomorrow's game. And one thing's for sure: the Stadion Varkenoord provides the best conditions for a high-quality opener! Over 1,500 fans are expected at the arena, close to the Stadion Feijenoord. U19 captain Francesco Buono can't wait: "When you come in here and step onto the turf, you immediately want to play the game. Now it's about charging the batteries in the hotel and relaxing together this evening, so that we can deliver a good team performance tomorrow and start the competition on a positive note."

The match kicks off at 14:00 CEST and can be watched live from 13:50 on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and Werkself-TV.

+++18 September, 15:38 CEST+++

The Werkself have also just begun their three-hour bus journey to Rotterdam. After lunch together, all the suitcases were loaded and they left on time. We'll be back upon arrival after a hopefully smooth journey!

+++18 September, 14:26 CEST+++

The Youth League team have departed! The Bayer 04 youngsters have just set off on the approximately 250-kilometre journey to Rotterdam. First stop for Sergi Runge's side is the Stadion Varkenoord for a quick feel of the pitch, then it's off to the team hotel. Safe travels, boys!

+++18 September, 13:14 CEST+++

Summer has made a return in Leverkusen: in glorious sunshine and mild temperatures, the boys got down to work on the grass at the UHS before the journey. At the start of the session, the 20 players completed some activation exercises on the floor and on boxes with weights. After that, Florian Wirtx and Co practised their passing game in three small groups. In the shadows at the other end, goalkeepers Lukas Hradecky, Matej Kovar and Niklas Lomb worked with goalkeeping coach David Thiel between the posts. The mood? Buoyant and fully focused. So the journey can begin!

+++18 September, 13:06 CEST+++

Before the Werkself's final training session at Leverkusen's Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, director of professional football Thomas Eichin commented on the start of this year's UEFA Champions League season. Speaking to media representatives, the 57-year-old was looking forward to the first match at Feyenoord: "There's a special atmosphere. Everyone is tense but really keen! Of course, we all watched the other matches yesterday. The new format makes it interesting straight away. You can't be overly tactical because it's all about points - just like at the start of the Bundesliga." On the objective, he added: "And that's exactly how we want to approach it tomorrow and get something from it. Xabi Alonso also has enough experience for this Bundesliga-Champions League rhythm. He knows how to deal with it and can pass that on to the players who have never been there before. We therefore feel well prepared and are looking forward to the competition."

+++18 September, 9:24 CEST+++

Bayer 04's U19s also face Feyenoord in their opening UEFA Youth league encounter on Thursday. Kick-off at the Stadion Varkenoord is at 14:00. Read what U19 boss Sergi Runde had to say ahead of the match in the preview HERE.

+++18 September, 9:16 CEST+++

Back to the present day: this is how Bayer 04's plan for the day looks. At midday, head coach Xabi Alonso will lead his charges through the final training session at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. After that, the group will make their way by bus to the Netherlands' second biggest city after Amsterdam. They're due to arrive in Rotterdam at 18:30. After checking in to the team hotel, it's the pre-match press conference with Alonso and Jeremie Frimpong at 19:00, who will answer questions from the Dutch and travelling German press at the stadium. The day's schedule concludes with dinner at the team hotel.

+++18 September, 9:09 CEST+++