After a two-year enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bayer 04 have now finally been able to continue the traditional partnership with the Leverkusen Sports Association in the established way: As this year's patron of the Birkenberg Soccer School, Werkself player Florian Wirtz did not fail to provide attention to the girls and boys taking part at the end of the summer holidays. In a relaxed round of questions at the SC Leverkusen ground, the 19-year-old Germany international gave up lots of time for the children on Wednesday afternoon and he was rewarded with enthusiasm and beaming faces. A total of 450 children have taken part in football courses over the past six weeks.
After the Werkself had a day off on Monday, the players under head coach Gerardo Seoane were fully focused on preparing for the top match in Dortmund the next day. There was a tough shift in the glaring Leverkusen sunshine: In addition to sessions on the speed caught inside the BayArena there were press-ups on the pitch, intense passing drills, six vs six matches in restricted space and more.
The Werkself completed a slightly changed but equally intense session in front of a large number of fans today and they certainly worked up a sweat in tropical temperatures of 34 degrees. While Lukas Hradecky, Andrey Lunev and Niklas Lomb worked separately at the start of the 90-minute plus session, the Black and Red goalkeeping trio joined their teammates for the final practice game. Head coach Seoane again and again interrupted the match in training and gave instructions or had discussions with players and his fellow coaches.
Amine Adli worked one-on-one with fitness coach Markus Müller, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah also trained on his own. The two Werkself players completed a range of sprints and running drills.
The Werkself Women's team are also hard at work with a large number of sessions this week. On Monday, head coach Robert de Pauw held the first training session of the week with many others following in the next few days. A trio consisting of Anna Klink, Kristin Kögel and Elisa Senß headed off to Frankfurt on Tuesday for the DFB Media Day. Their teammates focused on defensive work in the training session in Leverkusen.
On Saturday 6 August (kick-off: 14.00 CEST) the Bayer 04 Women's team play top Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in a friendly before the players led by de Pauw travel on two days later to a five-day training camp in Kaiserau by Kamen in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Congratulations, Anne. The youth goalkeeper at Bayer 04 has won the award for the best save of the month for July. In the friendly against the Mexican first division Club América Femenil (0-1), which the Werkself Women played last month on the #Bayer04MexicoTour, the 17-year-old keeper kept her team on terms with a sensational save. You can watch her fine save again HERE.
Happy birthday, Achim Feifel. The Baden-Württemberg-born coach today celebrates his 58th birthday. The graduate sports teacher focused on coaching women's teams early on. After coaching top clubs in international women's football such as Hamburg SV, the Russian club FC Rossiyanka and FFC Turbine Potsdam, Feifel took over the posts of coach with the Bayer 04 Women's team in 2019. Since this year he has worked for the Werkself as the sporting director of women's football.
Bayer 04 today remember Werner Röhrig who would have been 88 years old today (Wednesday). The former Werkself captain, who was under the Bayer Cross for many years, was born in Leverkusen and died in his home town at the age of 76. During his time as a professional football player, Röhrig only played for one club: Bayer 04. After the former midfielder ended his playing career, he spent several years on the board of the football department as well as the senior committee of TSV Bayer 04. Röhrig also helped build an archive on large parts of the history of Bayer 04, which he also helped to write for nine years (1955-1964) – a true Leverkusener who will never be forgotten.
Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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