"The holidays were long enough to recover mentally and physically. I'm looking forward to getting started again," said Baumgartlinger ahead of numerous physical examinations (e.g. blood, eyes) plus balance and mobility tests. Tah and Dragovic, who returns to the Werkself after the end of his loan spell at Leicester City, followed the instructions of the medics, physios, coaches and sport scientists at the Werkstatt. Above all, at the concluding spiroergometry test, performance measurements on the treadmill, the Werkself trio gave their all, which is why Baumgartlinger talked about an "intensive start." After four hours of tests the trio were able to shower. "Nobody really likes these checks and performance tests but they are obviously important. And now we've done it," was Tah's assessment of proceedings.
The three returnees will train with the rest of the squad for the first this summer on Friday (16.00 CET, live on bayer04.de) before Herrlich's players embark on three training sessions on Saturday (10.30 and 16.00 CET) and Sunday (10.30 CET). "The break was longer than normal for us due to the World Cup – now I can hardly wait to play football again, " said Tah.
The first pre-season friendly for the Black and Reds is next Wednesday (18.00 CET) against SV Roßbach/Verscheid.
The Werkself continue their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with their third friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday 29 July (kick-off 15:00 CEST). Werkself-TV is broadcasting the match live and in full in a stream from 14:50 CEST...
Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
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Bayer 04 is redesigning the public catering at the BayArena and Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion for the start of the 2026/27 season. Together with new catering partner Aramark, processes will be developed and the service at the stadium will be improved in a targeted way.
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The German Football Association (DFB) has officially recognised Bayer 04 as a centre for the development of female talent for the 2026/27 season. The club was awarded that role on 1 January 2026, and this status has now been renewed.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have sold young defender Andrea Natali to AZ Alkmaar on permanent terms. The 18-year-old Italian was on loan at the Dutch club last season, where he mainly played for the reserve team in the second division.
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