Bayer 04 head off for sunnier climes on the first Tuesday in the New Year for the third successive winter training camp in Orlando from 3 to 12 January 2017. In addition to intensive preparation for the forthcoming challenges in the Bundesliga and Champions League there are two matches in the Florida Cup. The opponents for the Werkself are the two top South American clubs Estudiantes de La Plata from Argentina and Clube Atlético Mineiró from Brazil.
Bayer 04 enjoyed perfect conditions in Orlando in 2015 and 2016 and this time the Hotel Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate provides the base for the Werkself. At the start of this year, the Werkself played Santa Fe (Colombia) and SC Internacional (Brazil) in the Florida Cup. A 1-0 win against Santa Fe was followed by a 3-3 draw against SC Internacional.
The third year of this competition in 2017 will include the VfL Wolfsburg Academy team, SC Corinthians, Flamengo (both from Brazil), Barcelona SC (Ecuador) and Tampa Bay Rowdies from the Major League Soccer in addition to Bayer 04, Estudiantes de La Plata and club Atletico Mineiro.
The first opponent for the Werkself in the New Year will be Estudiantes de la Plata on 8 January at 14.00 (local time) at the A1Lang Stadium in Tampa. The Argentinian club won the Copa Libertadores de América, the premium club competition in South America, in 2009 and are currently fourth in the Primera Division in Argentina.
Clube Atlético Mineiró are the second opponent for Bayer 04 on 11 January at 19.00 (local time) at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Stadium in Orlando. Atletico Mineiro won the Copa Libertadores, in 2013, and in 2014 the club lifted the Recopa South America and won the domestic cup competition in Brazil. This season they are in fourth place in Brazil’s Serie A. One of the stars of the team is Robinho, former Brazil international and striker with Real Madrid.
Two home games for starters
Bayer 04 restart the Bundesliga with two home games: The first half of the season finishes with the match against third-placed Hertha Berlin on Sunday 22 January at 15.30 CET. The first matchday in the second half of the season sees Borussia Mönchengladbach visit the BayArena on Saturday 28 January (18.30 CET).
Like last year, Bayer 04 Women held their summer training camp in Rieden. Coach Roberto Pätzold gives his assessment of the time in the Upper Palatinate, discusses the integration of the 11 new players and the unusual team building measures, gives his thoughts on the friendly and looks ahead to the start of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga season in August.
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Just in time for the start of the summer holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Werkself will hold another open training session on Tuesday 21 July. The session at the BayArena is scheduled to start at 11:00 CEST and will again be available to watch in a live stream. The fans who are there can look forward to a very special surprise.
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Bayer 04 turned in a dominant performance in a 7-0 win against fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in their first friendly ahead of the 2026/27 season. A brace from debutant Afonso Moreira (19', 27') either side of a Christian Kofane strike (23') put the Werkself 3-0 up in the first of the two 35-minute halves in Monheim am Rhein. After the break, Victor Boniface (49', 53'), Robert Andrich (56') and Nathan Tella (67') scored for the completely changed Leverkusen team. It was therefore a successful friendly debut for new head coach Carles Martínez and his team, although the hosts also had something to celebrate despite the defeat: the match marked the inauguration of Baumberg's new ground, the MEGA Stadion.
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Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
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