Back
28.10.2024Werkself-TV

Alonso ahead of #B04ELV: “Elversberg have made great progress”

Bayer 04’s focus has quickly turned to their next game as they prepare to host Elversberg in the second round of the DFB Pokal on Tuesday (kick-off: 6pm CET). Ahead of the match, head coach Xabi Alonso spoke about the special nature of the cup, the last time the Werkself faced the now Bundesliga 2 side and the attributes needed for a successful evening at the BayArena.

Display videos

Yes, I'd like to see videos dispalyed.

“We’re excited to be back in cup action,” said Alonso at Monday’s press conference. “It’s a nice competition, both for big and smaller clubs. Every team has to approach every game as if it were a final. That makes it all more interesting and exciting.”

“Be mentally ready and disciplined”

The Werkself are very much aware that the DFB Pokal can throw up some surprises, as they discovered in Elversberg back in 2022/23. Back then, the newly promoted 3. Liga side claimed a 4-3 win to dump out Leverkusen in the first round. “Obviously there are players from both sides who were there and will be involved again tomorrow, but those are and will remain just memories. They’ve made great progress since then, but so have we,” the Spaniard stated.

Alonso, therefore, preferred to only look ahead to this next encounter with the Saarland club, who are set to bring 1,900 supporters with them to Leverkusen. “They have great qualities. We saw that again in impressive fashion against Hamburg at the weekend [4-2 win]. But when we play our game, we’ll win. We need to be mentally ready and disciplined.”

The boss also confirmed that Jeanuel Belocian will miss the game due to an ankle injury, as well as long-term absentee Amine Adli.

There are still tickets available for the game in the Bayer 04 ticket shop.

Alonso talks Ballon d’Or

Monday evening also sees this year’s Ballon d'Or award ceremony in Paris. Bayer 04 are represented in three categories, with the team up for Men’s Club of the Year, Alonso in the Men’s Team Coach and the trio of Alejandro Grimaldo, Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka up for the Men’s Ballon d’Or.

When asked about the awards, Alonso said: “We’re very proud. The nominations are a great honour. And to have them in three categories. It was a super season, almost a dream season. So, the nominations are absolutely deserved.”

Related News

Scheck-Übergabe
Bayer 04 - 16.05.2026

BarmeniaGothaer & Bayer 04 present Tapsoba with cheque from shirt sales

Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.

Show more
Kurzpässe vor #B04HSV
Bundesliga - 16.05.2026

Matchday news #B04HSV: Finally Red in last chance for Champions League qualification

Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.

Show more
Shen Menglu und Vanessa Haim
Women - 16.05.2026

Haim and Menglu to leave Bayer 04 Women

As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.

Show more
Die PK vor dem letzten Bundesliga-Spiel der Saison | 34. Spieltag
Werkself-TV - 15.05.2026

Hjulmand ahead of #B04HSV: 'It's not over yet'

The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.

Show more