Florian Wirtz is on his way back. The Werkself youngster has struggled with muscular problems in his hip since the Europa League home game against Real Betis (4-0). The 18-year-old could return to the squad. The forward today completed an individual session with fitness coach Schahriar Bigdeli and primarily worked with the ball. His first session with the team is planned for tomorrow (Wednesday).
And Bayer 04 attacker Karim Bellarabi is also on the verge of making his return. The 31-year-old suffered a torn muscle in his right thigh at the end of October in the derby against FC Köln (2-2) and today he completed the warm-up routine with the squad. After that, the striker worked with fitness coach Daniel Jouvin. He is also due to rejoin the squad tomorrow.
Both Werkself players could be in the squad for the Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum on Saturday, 20 November (kick-off: 15.30 CET).
Patrik Schick and Charles Aránguiz are also working hard on making a comeback. Schick was back on the pitch on Tuesday with Bayer 04 physio Hans-Jörg Schneider after injuring ligaments in his left ankle. "His ligaments have healed. But we need to continue to be careful and wait and see how he is with pain over the next few days," explained head coach Gerardo Seoane to the media after the training session.
Robert Andrich, who suffered a slight knock in the Hertha game, took part in the warm-up routine with the team and then joined in with the individual training session along with Karim Bellarabi and Charles Aránguiz. The latter was back on the pitch for the second time on Tuesday morning following his calf injury. And it is also possible that the Chilean may return to full training during the course of the week.
Gerardo Seoane will only decide which of the players on their way back could be an option for the Bochum game after the final pre-match training session on Friday: “Of course, we want to have as many fit players as possible available but we have eight more difficult games ahead of us this year. It's always about assessing risk over the long term," said the Swiss coach.
Head coach Gerardo Seoane was a guest on 'Der Sechzehner' podcast. In a discussion with St. Pauli club official Ewald Lienen and football commentator Michael Born, the 42-year-old talked about his preferred style of play and the development of the Werkself since he took over the helm.
The whole episode can be heard HERE or on the usual podcast platforms.
Six current and former Bayer 04 players and staff represented Germany on Sunday, 14 November in the international against Armenia (4-1). Defender Jonathan Tah and physio Jens Joppich were joined by former Leverkusen teammates Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Kevin Volland (AS Monaco), Bernd Leno (Arsenal) and Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund). That was the source of this excellent snapshot. A cool group.
Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
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