“Abgemacht: Bayer Leverkusen hat den Newcastle United-Star verpflichtet………….weiterlesen”
Bayer Leverkusen will intensify their preparations for defending their Bundesliga title on Saturday with a pre-season friendly against Lens at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Leverkusen started their pre-season last week with a match against Rot-Weiss Essen, while Lens has already played five pre-season games since early July in preparation for their Ligue 1 campaign.
Lens will host their sixth pre-season friendly on Saturday, getting ready for the 2024-25 French top-flight season under new management. After finishing second in the 2022-23 season, Lens ended the last campaign in seventh place, narrowly missing out on European qualification with 51 points from 38 matches.
Franck Haise’s four-year tenure as Lens’ head coach concluded, and Will Still has taken over the role, leading the team through a solid pre-season, including victories over Kortrijk, Red Star, and Leuven, before suffering their first defeat against Eredivisie side Utrecht. In a recent friendly, Lens won 5-4 against another team, with Wesley Said scoring twice and contributions from Stijn Spierings, Remy Labeau Lascary, and Tom Pouilly.
With their league opener against Angers approaching and two more friendlies remaining, Lens aims to secure a strong victory on Saturday to build confidence.
For Leverkusen, the friendly is a key part of their preparation after a historic season. Under Xabi Alonso’s guidance, Leverkusen won their first-ever Bundesliga title, finishing unbeaten with 28 wins and six draws, totaling 90 points. Their only defeat came in the Europa League final against Atalanta BC, but they bounced back by winning the DFB-Pokal with a 1-0 victory over Kaiserslautern, thanks to Granit Xhaka’s early goal.
Having started their pre-season with a win against Rot-Weiss Essen, Leverkusen aims to continue building momentum with another victory on Saturday as they prepare for the upcoming season and the DFB-Supercup in mid-August.
