Europa League: Hradecky believes in Leverkusen “cauldron”

Lukas Hradecky had received critical, even incredulous looks. But the Bayer Leverkusen captain and goalkeeper wasn’t being ironic.

The goose bumps during the first leg in Rome was all well and good, said Hradecky, looking back at the 0-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico: “But to be honest, I think it’s sometimes louder in the BayArena.” That’s why you can expect “another big cauldron” in the second leg.

This statement faces a critical review on Thursday (9 p.m. / RTL) in the semi-final second leg of the Europa League against AS Roma. Compared to many other football stadiums, the BayArena has not been famous as a “cauldron”. But it is at least logical what Hradecky means. On the one hand, the 33-year-old refers to the fact that apart from the spectacle before the game and the winning goal, there was little singing in Rome – as is usual in Italy. On the other hand, under coach Xabi Alonso in Leverkusen, hype and euphoria have actually developed that have not been seen in years.

Bayer boom

All tickets for the game against Roma, led by star coach José Mourinho, were sold out in 90 minutes. In the last six months, the number of members has increased by around a third from a good 27,000 to almost 35,000. Of the last five home games, only the one against RB Leipzig was not sold out because there were seats in the Leipzig block. And even before the quarterfinals against Union Saint-Gilloise from Belgium, 3,000 fans had welcomed the team bus and accompanied them to the stadium in the Pyronebel. Alonso, world and European champion as a player and twice winner of the Champions League, was then even asked if he had ever experienced something like this. “Not yet as a coach,” replied the Spaniard.

On Thursday, the Bayer fans actually want to go one better. So far, this has been forbidden for security reasons. The supporters wanted to meet at Friedrich-Ebert-Platz for the fan march, but Bayer told UEFA that this was exactly where the Roman fans would meet. After failing before the administrative court in Cologne, the fan umbrella organization “Northern Curve 12” filed an urgent application with the North Rhine-Westphalian higher administrative court in Münster on Tuesday.

Everyone in and around Leverkusen is aware that Thursday is a historic opportunity for the club. Bayer could reach a European Cup final for the first time in 21 years, and the club has not had any title for 30 years. Which in the meantime brought him a lot of ridicule and malice and the nickname “Vizekusen”. The club “simply deserved it again” and is “also about to hold up a trophy,” said DFB sporting director Rudi Völler, head of sport at Bayer until last summer and a noble fan in the first leg in Rome.

increased attention

What’s more: After the elimination of all Bundesliga rivals, the eyes and hopes of German football fans and opponents are on the Werkself. “If you write to your colleagues or talk on the phone, you notice that they are paying more attention,” said sporting director Simon Rolfes: “And you can tell from the fans and those in charge that the Europa League has a different status than it did ten years ago. Or when the UEFA Cup, which didn’t interest many. Nationally and internationally it’s a big number.”

The direct environment has long since noticed that and so, regardless of the comparison with the Roman Tifosi, there will certainly be an atmosphere on Thursday that has rarely been experienced in Leverkusen. “The atmosphere will be outstanding. Every one of us is looking forward to it,” said defender Jonathan Tah, who has been with the club since 2015. And Rolfes also announced “a fantastic atmosphere”.

The optimism is unbroken despite the defeat in the first leg and the injuries to Robert Andrich and Odilon Kossounou. “Everything is still in there,” said Rolfes. Already in the first leg “they showed that they are vulnerable. I am absolutely convinced that we can win the game at home”. And like Alonso, he even reinterprets it to the small advantage that they have to too. “The direction is clear,” said Rolfes: “And sometimes it’s better if you go into the game with the mindset that you have to score goals.”