Hygiene rules, social distancing, recommended behaviour – Dr. Karl-Heinrich Dittmar, medical director and also pandemics officer at Bayer 04, and his team have taken measures to prevent the Werkself contracting coronavirus. Training is held in groups at different times and in different locations at the training ground – the sessions are being held both at the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium as well as on the speed court, in the Werkstatt and on the training pitches. That makes it possible to maintain social distancing.
Before the start of all the training sessions, everybody has to have their temperatures taken. Five devices were sourced for the BayArena and the Bayer 04 to check the temperatures of every player, coach and member of staff. Leon Bailey shows how it’s done: Just stand in front of the camera; within seconds the temperature is read from the forehead. The device sounds a warning with a raised temperature . Training can start if there’s a green light. After the first hurdle, there are hand sanitisers located at various points across the Bay Arena.
Instead of the usual route to the dressing rooms, Kerem Demirbay and Co. now use the Mixed Zone. The distribution of kit has been moved there temporarily. The area is more spacious than the dressing rooms and that avoids any problems with collecting or returning training kit and boots.
The Werkself players get changed in different areas. In addition to the home dressing room, the away changing room and facilities for youth teams and conference rooms are also used. That guarantees the maintenance of social distancing from each other before and after the sessions. Showers after training sessions are not permitted at the BayArena at the moment.
Communal meals in the morning and at lunchtime are also off the agenda. It’s not sociable but nobody is left hungry – there is breakfast and lunch but individually packed to take away. Drinks are provided as is fruit and the dish of the day. The players can serve themselves in turn.
An overview of current ticket sales for Bayer 04 home and away matches in the 2026/27 season.
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Three games, three wins: Bayer 04 secured a 2–0 victory at Greek Cup winners OFI Crete with Jonas Hofmann scoring both goals at the Pankritio Stadium, right on the Mediterranean coast (35’, 38’). As a result, the Werkself have temporarily taken over top spot in the table on Matchday 3 of the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.
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'40 Years Across Europe' - and for the first time ever, Bayer 04 are travelling to Greece's biggest island for a European clash. There they'll take on OFI Crete - full name Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou (‘Association of Sports Friends of Heraklion’) - on Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase. The meeting with the Greek Cup winners kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday 22 October at the Pankritio. We’ll bring you all the latest updates from the trip here…
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Two games – two wins: Bayer 04 have picked up maximum points from their two matches so far in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. What's more, of their previous 14 UEL matches, Bayer 04 have lost just one. Away to OFI Crete, Carles Martínez’s side are looking to add another successful performance on the European stage to their string of impressive displays. The Greeks, for their part, have been waiting four matches for a win, but Leverkusen should be on their guard: OFI’s most recent victory came against a German side. Today's matchday news.
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Ahead of Bayer 04's Europa League match away to OFI Crete in Greece, defender Jarell Quansah spoke to Werkself-TV...
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