After two and a half weeks training at home following individual plans and the start of working in small groups at the BayArena on 1 April, the head coach welcomed his team back as a group to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. With the exception of Kevin Volland, who is in rehab training following an ankle injury, all the first-team players were back on the pitch.
The Werkself now have just over a week to prepare for the first game away to Werder Bremen on Monday 18 May with a 20.30 CET kick-off. Over the next few days it will be about getting back up to speed as quickly as possible and, above all, to gather strength for the busy fixture programme facing the teams in the Bundesliga.
"It feels good to be able to complete a normal full training session. And these sessions are important to get back in a competitive frame of mind," said Jonathan Tah. "I welcome the fact the games are starting again next week. Now we have a concrete target we can work to. Excitement is increasing and motivation is high."
The Germany international is not yet ready to talk about normality. "We're tested regularly. And we answer questions on our state of health every morning. And the regulations relating to hygiene and distancing our ever-present. We're very aware that it's a special situation and that we carry a special responsibility as professional footballers. The politicians have given us the privilege of being able to complete the season. We have to, and want to, justify that through discipline and level-headed behaviour."
Images from today's full training session:
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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Carlotta Wamser has completed a move away from Bayer 04 Women to join Manchester City in England’s Women’s Super League. The 22-year-old Germany international spent one year with the Werkself.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss against VfL Wolfsburg on the 2nd matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have transferred France U19 international Axel Tape to Spain. The 19-year-old is joining top-flight side Levante UD on a one-year loan. Tape joined the Werkself on a long-term deal from Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2025/26 season.
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Despite a spirited performance, the Bayer 04 Women suffered their first defeat in their first home game of the season. In front of 1,184 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, coach Roberto Pätzold’s side lost 2-1 to VfL Wolfsburg. Selina Ostermeier’s equaliser (51’) was not enough to secure a point, as the Bundesliga runners-up were quick to strike back.
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