"The defeat against Schalke 04 was a bitter blow," said Herrlich who was still clearly disappointed two days after the game. That was not made more palatable by direct rivals from Dortmund (1-1 against Augsburg) Frankfurt (0-1 in Stuttgart) and Leipzig (1-2 against FC Köln) also slipping up with the top third of the table still very closely packed. "We'll have to see that we pick up points rather than look at what the others are doing. It's important for us to draw the right lessons from the Schalke match," said the Werkself head coach after the only session on Tuesday as he focuses attention on the forthcoming match away to Wolfsburg who are currently in the relegation battle in fifteenth place in the top flight: "I know what we need to work on. We'll do that and try to get the best possible outcome."
The fact the captain Lars Bender – as well as Jonathan Tah – were both able to complete the full work out in the first training session of the week strengthens Herrlich's optimism – particularly in terms of them playing at the weekend. "Schalke were sharper in one or two situations and more aggressive in challenges. So it will be even better if we can get that additional mentality in the team with Lars coming back into the side."
Reserve keeper Ramazan Özcan and Leon Bailey were missing on Tuesday and, as "a precautionary measure", the pair completed an individual session in the gym at the BayArena instead of taking part in the open training session. Herrlich is optimistic they will not be out of action for long: "I'm assuming we'll have everybody available the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
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At the training camp in the Weimarer Land region, Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez and his long-standing assistant Pol García talk about their first few weeks with the Werkself, their expectations of their own work, the coaching staff and the squad, as well as the style of football they want the team to play. They emphasise the importance of a winning mentality within the team, comment on cultural and personal differences in the world of football, and outline their goals for the coming season...
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