With an extremely short recovery period, Heiko Herrlich has to get his players fit again and ready for the next opponent within three days. "It was a special situation and we didn't plan the defect of course. That's why I sent the players home," said the head coach at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Mainz game. All of the first-team squad are to complete their regeneration sessions at home as an exception – whether that's by walking or riding a bike. "It doesn't make sense for everybody to drive home and then return in the afternoon. Sleep is the best regeneration. Everybody should recover well – and then we'll get back together tomorrow for training."
Players with knocks – the Bender twins, Paulinho, Wendell and Dominik Kohr – were treated immediately on arrival at the BayArena. Heiko Herrlich did not have any worries about the latter named: "With Wendell, I'm assuming we'll sort it out in good time. Sven Bender's problem with his neck before the game against Rasgrad was unexpected but we are hopeful he may be able to play on Sunday." The 46-year-old coach was more reserved in his assessment of Lars Bender: "Lars went into yesterday's game with a knock. He gritted his teeth and fought his way through. In the second half he was on his last legs so I took him off. We'll have to see what happens today and tomorrow."
Regardless of the recovery phase – the Bayer 04 coach hopes to be able to "take the momentum from the Europa League into the Mainz game" and improve the record (ten wins, four draws, ten defeats). "I hope the team has taken a small step forwards." After three defeats in the first three Bundesliga matches, he wants to prove at the almost sold out family matchday, "that we're still hungry. Football is a competitive game and I hope we've absorbed the experience from Rasgrad." On Sunday, the boss is looking for Bayer 04 to produce a determined performance against Mainz who are currently in sixth place with seven points from three games.
The fact that the opposition will be fresh and rested for Sunday's game and don't have to struggle with travel strains is no excuse in the eyes of the head coach. "If you're playing in Europe then you have to live with it. It's all in the mind! You have to work, switch off and then get back at it the next day. You only have to jump that hurdle in your head once," said Herrlich. "Our lads are fit and they'll show that on Sunday."
With their wonderful goals, Martin Terrier and Florian Wirtz are up for the Bundesliga Goal of the Year 2025. Voting for fans will run exclusively via the official Bundesliga app until Sunday, 4 January.
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Last-minute ecstasy, huge disappointment and a historic performance on the European stage - 2025 was a real emotional roller coaster, especially for the U19s. A rousing run in the knockout phase secured the team a place in the final of the German championships, where they lost by the narrowest of margins. Despite the departure of several key players, the young Werkself team quickly regained their usual strength and qualified for the knockout rounds in the UEFA Youth League for the first time at the end of the year. In 2025, youngsters Jeremiah Mensah and Montrell Culbreath made their debuts in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. The other youth teams also contributed great performances and a number of trophies to the collective Black and Red success, while the successful Bayer 04 Future Kids project broke new ground. Read on for the 2025 review of the youth teams.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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A memorable 12 months: 2025 was a year marked by success, intense competition and groundbreaking innovations for the #B04eSports team. After ending the 2024/25 season as runners-up, the Leverkusen-based console pros got down to business in a new, completely restructured season model, in which showdowns rather than divisions were the decisive factor on the road to the final round of the German Club Championship. Bayer 04 quickly earned a place in the history books of the most prestigious competition in German eSports and secured some valuable advantages for the coming year. Bayer04.de takes a look back at 12 months full of passion and the determination to take the next step.
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Sustainability once again had many faces at Bayer 04 in 2025: In community activity, the club supported countless regional campaigns, including the Leverkusener Tafel, the Frauenennotruf Leverkusen e.V. and the homeless aid organisation "Kältegang". But the Black and Reds have also been involved in good causes around the world - including the Young Coaches training programmes in Uganda and Ecuador plus the Genuine World Cup in the USA, where the Inclusion Werkself competed. Bayer 04 was also fully committed to the environment and underwent external and independently certification in accordance with the European environmental management standard EMAS, for example, to analyse and optimise the club’s environmental efforts. Looking back at sustainability in 2025.
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