Paderborn have already begun their preparations for the upcoming campaign, recording back-to-back wins against Wuppertal (2-1) and Gornik Zabrze (4-0) earlier this month, while losing 2-0 to SG Dynamo Dresden last week.
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Bayer Leverkusen will kickoff their preparations for the 2023-24 season with a pre-season friendly against Paderborn on Friday. The 2. Bundesliga club, meanwhile, have already begun their preparations for the upcoming campaign, and are heading into the match on the back of a 2-0 defeat to SG Dynamo Dresden last week. Leverkusen had a decent season under the stewardship of Xabi Alnonso last term, finishing sixth in the Bundesliga standings, while reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Die letzte öffentliche Trainingseinheit an der #BayArena läuft! 💪
Morgen steht das Testspiel gegen den @SCPaderborn07 in Velbert auf dem Plan, Samstag ist trainingsfrei und am Sonntag reist die #Werkself ins Trainingslager. #Bayer04 | 🔜 #B04SCP | 🔜 #B04inAustria 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/6j1kUX1aUC
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) July 20, 2023
Leverkusen collected 50 points from 34 German top flight games last season and thereby earned qualification for the 2023-24 Europa League. Alonso’s men reached the last four stage of the Europa League last term, but couldn’t get the better of AS Roma, losing 1-0 on aggregate courtesy of Edoardo Bove’s goal in the first leg at Stadio Olimpico. The Black and Reds would be aiming to secure a top four finish in the upcoming Bundesliga season. Die Werkself have couple of friendlies lined up against the likes of Paderborn, Real Sociedad, Marseille and West Ham United, before beginning their competitive season away to Teutonia Ottensen in the DFB-Pokal first round.
Paderborn, on the other hand, finished sixth in the 2022-23 2. Bundesliga standings, collecting 55 points from 34 games, 11 points short of third-placed Hamburger SV, who qualified for the promotion playoffs. Meanwhile, the German second tier club have appointed Lukas Kwasniok as their new boss on July 1 and the 42-year-old’s reign began with back-to-back wins over Wuppertal (2-1) and Gornik Zabrze (4-0) earlier this month. However, The German tactician’s side lost to SG Dynamo Dresden almost a week ago courtesy of goals from Dennis Borkowski and Luca Hermann.
Leverkusen have already completed a high-profile signing in the form of midfielder Granit Xhaka from Arsenal on a permanent deal and the Swiss international could be a key player in Alonso’s plan’s. Moreover, winger Jonas Hofmann and and right-back Arthur have also joined the club from Borussia Monchengladbach and America-MG respectively. Meanwhile, left-back Alejandro Grimaldo has arrived on a free transfer from Benfica. As for Paderborn, they have brought in centre-back Maximilian Rohr and and winger Filip Bilbija, both from Hamburger SV.
Bayer Leverkusen
| Opponents | Score |
| Bochum | 3-0 (L) |
| B. Monchengladbach | 2-2 (D) |
| AS Roma | 0-0 (D) |
| Stuttgart | 1-1 (D) |
| AS Roma | 1-0 (L) |
Paderborn
| Opponents | Score |
| SG Dynamo Dresden | 0-2 (L) |
| Gornik Zabrze | 4-0 (W) |
| Wuppertal | 2-1 (W) |
| Nurnberg | 0-1 (L) |
| Arminia Bielefeld | 2-2 (D) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Bayer Leverkusen beat Paderborn | 1-4 |
| Bayer Leverkusen beat Paderborn | 1-0 |
| Bayer Leverkusen beat Paderborn | 3-0 |
| Paderborn beat Bayer Leverkusen | 2-0 |
| Bayer Leverkusen beat Paderborn | 0-3 |
The friendly fixture between Bayer Leverkusen and Paderborn will take place at IMS Arena on Friday at 9:00 pm IST.
| Leverkusen vs Paderborn | Key Details |
| Date | July 21 |
| Venue | IMS Arena |
| Kickoff time in Germany | 5:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 9:00 pm |
Football fans in USA, Puerto Rico, Northern Marina Islands and Guam can catch the live action via ESPN Deportes. Meanwhile, those in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela can watch the match on Star +.
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