Back
7.07.2022Bayer 04

News in brief: Hlozek and international players join training

Head coach Gerardo Seoane welcomed back a number of new and familiar faces to the training ground today, Thursday 7 July. Nine senior players in captain Lukas Hradecky, summer signing Adam Hlozek, as well as Mitchel Bakker, Edmond Tapsoba, Odilon Kossounou, Sardar Azmoun, Piero Hincapie, Paulinho and Joel Pohjanpalo all took part in the session. That and more in the day’s news in brief.
crop_20220706_JS_Training_1331.jpg

It was welcome back to #InternationalWerkself in Leverkusen as nine Bayer 04 first-team players returned to action in the morning after yesterday’s performance diagnostics and numerous medical checks. Seoane mostly had his team playing in various types of matches, although Robert Andrich & Co. also showed their ability in a heading course and some football tennis. Once the sporting side of things was done, the several fans who’d made the trip got the chance for autographs and photos from new signing Hlozek.

Goalkeeper Hradecky was out on the pitch the longest. The Werkself No.1 followed the team session with an individual programme together with goalkeeping coach David Thiel. There was then a second strength session inside the BayArena in the afternoon.

crop_20220706_JS_Training_1900.jpg

First friendly against Duisburg

Friday’s session is again open for fans and starts at 10:30 CEST on the pitches at the BayArena. Seoane’s side then face their first friendly of pre-season on Saturday, 9 July when they take on third-division side Duisburg in Velbert at 15:30. Tickets are still available on the day at the ground from two hours before kick-off.

Happy birthday!

Joyeux anniversaire, Moussa Diaby! The Werkself forward turned 23 today. The France international has been at Leverkusen since 2019/20. Last season he made 42 appearances across all competitions, netting an impressive 17 goals and providing an excellent 14 assists.

Werkself Women’s goalkeeper Friederike Repohl was also celebrating today as she turned 28. The No.27 joined from Wolfsburg in 2021. Happy birthday and all the best for the coming season!

Related News

Jubel der Werkself
Women - 08.10.2026

Women: 3-1 win in friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach

The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').

Show more
Christian Kofane
Bayer 04 - 08.10.2026

Striker Christian Kofane sidelined

Bayer 04 will have to manage without striker Christian Kofane in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old sustained a muscle injury to his left thigh on international duty with the Cameroon national team during the recent international break. This will prevent him from playing in the upcoming Werkself matches.

Show more
Sheraldo Becker und Phillip Tietz
Bundesliga - 08.10.2026

Our next opponents: Deadly duo on form up front

FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.

Show more
Chinesische Delegation mit Stefan Kießling
Bayer 04 - 07.10.2026

BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou visits Leverkusen

Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.

Show more
Carolin Simon beim AMA
Women - 07.10.2026

‘Hearts and souls’: Werkself captain Carolin Simon on Ask Me Anything

Fans ask, Carolin Simon answers: As part of Bayer 04’s second Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, the Leverkusen captain took questions from the community. The full-back, who returned to the club this summer after ten years away, set aside an hour and a half for the Q&A session with fans, offering a very personal insight into, amongst other things, her daily life as a footballer and her role as captain, as well as her passion for Pokémon.

Show more