
The absence of the skipper Lars Bender was a purely precautionary move according to Herrlich after his late withdrawal ahead of the Augsburg game – there is no reason to think he will not be fit for the match away to RB Leipzig on Monday night (9 April, 20.30 CET). The 28-year-old trained on his own at the BayArena for that reason.
Herrlich also indicated Jonathan Tah and Joel Pohjanpalo should be ok. The latter has returned to light training after the injury to his right ankle and is expected to rejoin full training in the second half of the week. Tah is very likely to make an earlier return. He was kicked on the thigh near the end of Saturday's game. "The doctors are very positive and he will definitely be fit by Monday. He may even return to training tomorrow," said Herrlich after the training session on Tuesday.
Herrlich and his fellow coaches concentrated on working on the indecision in finishing evident in recent games - shooting was on the agenda. "Of course, the pressure on us has increased after the defeats against Hertha and Köln. We particularly lacked precision in the final third and we were untidy at times. We will continue to work on being more focused," said Herrlich looking forward to the important game in Leipzig that ends matchday 29 with the Werkself keen to pick up three points.


Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against TSG Hoffenheim on the 19th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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After a run of seven games unbeaten in all competitions, the Werkself suffered a 1-0 defeat at FC Union Berlin despite their best efforts. Captain Robert Andrich, who took responsibility for the goal, said after the match: "Now we have to focus on not losing our heads even in difficult situations. That has always made us strong in the past." The Werkself review.
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Bayer 04 were beaten 1-0 away at Union Berlin on Matchday 23 in the Bundesliga. Kasper Hjulmand’s side struggled to create clear chances, while the hosts struck the only goal of the game through Rani Khedira in the 28th minute.
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Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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