Karim Bellarabi, who was unable to play to the end of the water fight against FC Nürnberg on Monday night due to muscular problems, is also on the road to recovery. On Wednesday, he trained on his own in the gym but the 28-year-old should be back on the pitch for the closed training session on Thursday. "I expect he will be fit for Saturday," said Heiko Herrlich on Wednesday.
The Werkself coach was less optimistic about Sven Bender who was substituted at half-time due to foot pains. "At the moment, we are leaning towards resting him – we definitely don't want to make a mistake that rules him out over the long term," added Herrlich. If the Werkself number five is sidelined then Aleksandar Dragovic, who played against Ludogorets and FC Nürnberg, is an alternative and Tin Jedvaj can also play in central defence.
Kasper Hjulmand managed 1. FSV Mainz 05 during the 2014/15 season. Now he returns to the MEWA ARENA as head coach of Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday 18 October (kick-off 15:30 CEST). The record against the 05ers as well as the hosts' underwhelming start to the season favour the Werkself, but other stats and comments reveal a battling Mainz side who are determined to get back on track. The Matchday News brings you the latest ahead of the Bundesliga Matchday 7 clash.
Show more
Bayer 04 Women have less than 72 hours to recover from the rearranged derby against Köln. Coach Roberto Pätzold's side host VfL Wolfsburg, who are level on points, in a crunch match at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Sunday (kick-off 17:15 CEST).
Show more
Bayer 04 return from the international break with a trip to Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Ahead of the Matchday 7 fixture, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke at his press conference on Friday about the 05ers, returning to his former club and provided a fitness update on the squad.
Show more
Mainz were one of the surprise packages of last season as their power football earned them a sixth-place finish a return to Europe after nine years with qualification for the UEFA Conference League. Things aren’t going as well for the 05ers this term, as they prepare to host Bayer 04 on Matchday 7 in the Bundesliga still searching for a positive result at home.
Show more
A group of journalists representing Latin American and Spanish-language media outlets visited the BayArena on Thursday for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Bayer 04 and interviews with key personnel that have driven the team’s brand to new heights internationally over the last few years.
Show more
