Stalwart Julian Baumgartlinger has taken another step towards playing in the European Championship finals. The 33-year-old has returned to full training with the Werkself. “It felt great to be back on the training ground with the lads after less than four months. The first sessions went better then expected and I feel really good. Now I’m going to carry on working towards playing for Austria at the Euros,” said Baumgartlinger.
Austria coach Franco Foda has called up his captain as well as Werkself central defender Aleksandar Dragovic to the preliminary Euro squad on Wednesday afternoon.
There is one match to play in the Bundesliga and then the Werkself players will set off for a well-deserved holiday or to one of the biggest international tournaments in the summer. In the final week after having Monday off there were sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. The team led by head coach Hannes Wolf will maintain that rhythm up to the away game at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, 22 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST).
The former Leverkusen player Toni Kroos does not believe his participation in the European Championships is threatened by his latest Covid-19 infection. “Of course I’ll be ready,” said the Real Madrid midfielder who played for the Werkself from January 2009 to June 2010. Joining the Germany training camp could be delayed by a few days under certain circumstances. The team under coach Joachim Löw will prepare for the European Championship finals from 28 May in the Austrian Tyrol. Bayer 04 wish Toni a swift recovery and a successful Euros.
Bayer 04 and sponsors club partner apotal.de have provided Werkself first aid packages to all participants in the first parent workshops. The parents were given a wide range of materials such as wound treatment sets and analgesic gel.
60 per cent of the families took up the offer of the workshop. Assessment of the feedback forms revealed a high level of satisfaction and interest and that means the youth section at Bayer 04 can really look forward to the already planned next parent workshop. That will be held in June and deals with the issue of the pressure to perform. The Bayer 04 sports psychologists Simon Borgmann and Timo Heinze will be advisors for the event.
In keeping with the impending retirement of Lars and Sven Bender, we have selected the Bender edition of Connect 04 for you to enjoy. Has one of the two ever pretended to be his twin brother? HERE is the video.
A new look and new kit supplier for the 2025/26 campaign: Bayer 04 in tandem with sports equipment manufacturer New Balance present the official kit for the Leverkusen eSports players the coming season. New partner Sinology appears on the top right of the jersey. Menswear outfitters Lerros is still the main eSports sponsor and Niedax remains the sleeve partner. The jersey is available now from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
Show moreBosnia U19 international Kerim Alajbegovic is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen's youth set-up to Red Bull Salzburg. The talented attacking midfielder has signed a long-term contract with the Austrian club. At the same time, the works club secured a buy-back option for the 17-year-old, who was one of the mainstays of the Leverkusen U19s.
Show morePreparations for the 2025/26 season at Bayer 04 start next Monday, 7 July, with the first team and youth players training together. Without the international players who were involved with their national teams at the end of last season, new head coach Erik ten Hag will welcome a group of senior and youth players to the first open training session one week ahead of the departure to the training camp in Rio de Janeiro. After the official welcome in the dressing room, the Werkself players will start the session in the shadow of the BayArena on 7 July at 14:00 CEST.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Premier League club Chelsea in the final pre-season friendly. The game against the current holders of the UEFA Conference League is on Friday, 8 August at Stamford Bridge with the kick-off at 20:00 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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