"We really got stuck in," said Sven Bender. "But that's what we need now. We don't have much time before the start of the second half of the season."
In the absence of Peter Bosz, who was away from Leverkusen due to a private matter, assistant coach Hendrie Krüzen led the training session. And the long-standing colleague of Peter Bosz pulled out all the stops. In the practice matches on small pitches, he again and again fired up the pros, let the players not taking part do circuits and carried on playing even in the event of small knocks.
However, one player took a hit before the end of the session. Paulinho was left lying on the ground after a challenge. The Brazilian suffered a wound to his mouth and was sent to the dressing room as a precautionary measure. According to the medical section, it is probable that the 18-year-old will be back on the pitch with his team-mates in the next session on Thursday.
The underdogs came out on top in the mini-tournament. The Green team had to thank keeper Lukas Hradecky above all for their triumph and he insisted on a group photo with the winners after the final whistle. The Finland shot-stopper shared the limelight with Lucas Alario, Sam Schreck, Tin Jedvaj, Adrian Stanilewicz, Mitchell Weiser, Dominik Kohr, Herdi Bukusu and Leon Bailey.
There is no squad training on Wednesday; the sessions on Thursday and Friday will not be open to the public.
The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
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The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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The Bundesliga is back. On Saturday 29 August (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to SV 07 Elversberg on matchday 1 of the new season. Ahead of the clash at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the importance of a successful start and the motivation of the league newcomers from the Saarland.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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