
While the first team were working on the training ground at the BayArena under the guidance of head coach Peter Bosz on Monday, sporting director Simon Rolfes was in California on behalf of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. At the annual meeting of the management from different football and sports clubs, held at the Silicon Valley IT centre, the focus was on communication and the development of a modern approach to management. Rolfes was joined by Markus Krösche (RB Leipzig) and Hasan Salihamidzic (FC Bayern). And Rolfes' former team-mate Clemens Fritz was also there on behalf of Werder Bremen.
According to Bosz, all the recently injured players should be fit for the game against Schalke 04 (kick-off: 15.30 CET) on Saturday 7 December. That means Charles Aránguiz, Leon Bailey and Wendell – who were all taken off during the 2-1 victory in Munich – are all options for the clash with the Royal Blues.
Following the 2-1 away win at the reigning champions of Germany, three Leverkusen players were named in the kicker Team of the Day: The sports journal picked out double goalscorer Bailey, captain Lars Bender and goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. That was the second time the Finn has featured this season and for Bailey and Bender it was the first time. Only league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach had greater representation on matchday 13 with five of their players making the kicker team. Hradecky and Bailey were also considered for the team of the day on the Sportschau TV programme. Six Bayer 04 protagonists made it into the BILD team of the day: Hradecky, Lars Bender, Aránguiz, Bailey, Kevin Volland plus coach Bosz.
Monday saw the end of auctions for Bayer 04 shirts with braille. With the shirts of Karim Bellarabi and Julian Baumgartlinger, the highest bid was €277 for each of them. The goalkeeper shirt of Niklas Lomb went for €280. That brings the total raised to €4,210. The donations raised will be used to help the visually impaired who attend Werkself home matches.
Konstantinos Stafylidis today celebrates his 26th birthday. The left back played for Bayer 04 from 2012 to 2015. During that time the Greek player went on loan to PAOK Saloniki and Fulham. Stafylidis only played competitive games for Bayer 04 in 2013/2014 with one first-team appearance and eight for the reserves (one goal). Bayer 04 wish him a very happy birthday.

Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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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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