Leverkusen (dpa) – The start of the highlight weeks was successful, the anticipation of the European Cup evening great: After the promising performance in the 1-1 draw against FC Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen is confident and self-confident in the round of 16 first leg of the Europa League at Atalanta Bergamo .
“We’re a unit. We’ve shown that. That bodes well for the great weeks ahead,” said goalkeeper and captain Lukas Hradecky. Between the first and second leg against the Italians, the derby against 1. FC Köln, which is so important for the fans, still awaits the Werkself.
Good mood among coaches and players
Hradecky and coach Gerardo Seoane were in a good mood after arriving in sunny Lombardy on Wednesday. The Swiss answered the journalists’ questions in Italian and joked with the interpreter. The field players, too, appeared relaxed and in a great mood during the first public minutes of training at the Gewiss Stadium with a few loose exercises with the ball.
“I’m happy to play a knockout game without an away goals rule for the first time this year,” said Hradecky, who expects thrilling duels. “From what we looked at, they are very snappy and aggressive in defence,” said the Finn.
team in good shape
Despite this, Bayer 04 don’t have to hide. Leverkusen, who were still changeable in the first half of the season, have stabilized at a very high level. This is shown by the results with five wins in the past seven games. But that is also shown by the way the Rhinelanders play and the behavior of the footballers on the pitch. While Leverkusen had no chance in the first leg against FC Bayern Munich after an early 0-1 and lost 5-1 in the end, a deficit no longer throws the team off track.
According to midfielder Kerem Demirbay, coach Seoane played a big part in this. The calm and mostly matter-of-fact 43-year-old took over the team in the summer and is obviously well received with his style. “We grew through the coach. It was a process that took months,” said Demirbay, who still has to watch this Thursday (9 p.m. / RTL) due to a suspension in the first leg. The 28-year-old added: “We’ve grown through games. We’ve matured in our style of play. If we concede a goal, we don’t break in anymore.”
In addition to the improved defensive work, the fast and varied attack by national player Florian Wirtz and Moussa Diaby, who has been playing in top form for weeks, remains Bayer 04’s showpiece. Leverkusen were even able to compensate for the loss of their top scorer Patrik Schick.
Duel against Bergamo at eye level
The duel with the premier class permanent guest from Bergamo in recent years promises to be on an equal footing. In its current form, Bayer is even a candidate to end the creepy Europa League streak of German clubs. The successor competition to the UEFA Cup has existed since 2009. And no club from the Bundesliga has ever made it into the final.
Of course, Leverkusen is still a bit away from that. After all, Hradecky, Wirtz and Co. have progressed further than in the past season. At that time you failed in the sixteenth final at the Young Boys Bern. Trainer at the Swiss back then: Gerardo Seoane.