Three days after the 4-0 win against Twente Enschede, Bayer 04 sealed another victory in a friendly against the team third from bottom in the Dutch first division (Eredivisie). "3-1 is a good result," was the assessment of Bosz. "Today we tried to do a couple of things better that we didn't do so well in the game against Twente. In the first friendly for example, the build-up from the back took too long for my liking and we did it better today. But there are also other things we have to do better in future," added the 55-year-old Dutchman.
Bosz separated his squad into two teams for the first of two friendlies of the day: A side for the match against Zwolle and another for the friendly against Preußen Münster, which followed directly after the first game behind closed doors. "We don't have much time and it's important for me to get to know all the players. And it's good for the players to get 90 minutes on the pitch," said the new Werkself head coach in explaining the approach.
In front of a crowd of 470 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, the Werkself got off to the poorer start against the visitors from Holland – in the opening ten minutes, goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky kept his team from going behind three times. The Black and Reds then came into the game and created a number of goalscoring opportunities. After shots from Julian Brandt, Leon Bailey, Kai Havertz, Charles Aránguiz and Lars Bender failed to find the back of the net it was Kevin Volland who opened the scoring on the half-hour mark. Brandt provided the assist with some impressive dribbling and the final pass. Just three minutes after the opener, Bailey, who was playing on the right flank, doubled the lead – this time Volland provided the assist in the penalty area. Havertz was then twice frustrated by saves from the alert PEC keeper Mickey van der Hart. Bayer 04 went into the break with a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, the Werkself carried on where they had left off in the first 45 minutes, playing on the front foot and pressing the visitors back. Of the best chances created for the Werkself, only Bailey was able to reap the benefit when on 75 minutes – put through by Brandt – he coolly slotted the ball past the Zwolle keeper van der Hart to double his tally. Seconds before the final whistle, Zwolle prevented a second win for Bayer 04 without conceding when Stanley Elbers converted a rebound from close range to make it 3-1.
Bayer 04: Hradecky – L. Bender (Stanilewicz 69'), Tah, S. Bender, Wendell – Aránguiz – Bailey, Havertz, Brandt – Volland, Bellarabi
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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