
Head coach Roger Schmidt and his players can look forward to the best possible conditions and plenty of work in Austria. “We’ll work on all aspects of our game at the training camp and that includes the physical and tactical areas. And we know we’ve got the ideal conditions we need,” confirmed Schmidt, “I’m looking forward to the stay and working with our players.” Kevin Volland is also positive ahead of the hard work in Salzburger Land. “It’s particularly important for me as a new signing at the training camp to get to know the team better,” said the striker signed from Hoffenheim who has already scored five times in the pre-season.
The Werkself will have to make do without Lars Bender and Julian Brandt in Zell am See-Kaprun as the duo are at the Olympics in Rio with the Germany squad. Danny da Costa is also absent after undergoing an operation in Krefeld on Thursday to remove a metal pin inserted to provide support after he broke his shin in October 2014. Stefan Kießling, with ongoing hip problems, and Julian Baumgartlinger (groin) will start with individual training sessions in Zell am See. The youngsters Sam Schreck, Atakan Akkaynak and Kai Havertz are also on the tour. The Germany players at Euro 2016, Bernd Leno and Jonathan Tah, are set join the group in the next few days.
Two friendlies
In addition to the numerous training sessions, the Werkself have two friendlies arranged in Austria: The first is against South-West Regional League Teutonia Watzenborn-Steinberg on Saturday followed by a game on the penultimate day of the training camp against Fiorentina on Thursday 4 August. The matches at the Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See kick off at 18.00 CET.


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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When Afonso Moreira arrived for his interview with bayer04.de, he had to take a deep breath first. Asked how the morning session had gone, the 21-year-old replied with a slight smile: “Tough. Intense.” That’s really sums up the workload for the Werkself so far at the training camp in the Weimarer Land region. Head coach Carles Martínez and his team demand hard work, team spirit and the determination to improve every day. Those are values Moreira wholeheartedly identifies with – and the Portuguese player has not only taken them to heart, but also permanently noted in the form of a tattoo.
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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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