…selection options – apart from long-term injuries Pohjanpalo and Retsos: "Lars Bender is ruled out for tomorrow due to a thigh problem, otherwise everybody else is available."
…Lars Bender's injury: "He injured himself in training yesterday. I don't know exactly what's up – the doctor has just told me he can't play tomorrow."
…opponents Bayern Munich: "They've improved and are now playing better than before the winter break. They have a good team but we also have a good team. And so I'm expecting – as was the case before the matches against Gladbach and Wolfsburg – an interesting and intense game."
…tomorrow's encounter: "If you want to get a good result against Bayern then everything has to go right – not just the offensive or defensive game. We'll try that tomorrow. I think we've gained confidence from the last two games. Gladbach and Wolfsburg are good teams but it's also clear that Bayern are at another level. That means everything really has to go right tomorrow. And that's what we'll try to do."
…the improvement in his team: "We've been working together for about a month and it's easy to understand that not everything is quite what I'd like to see. But if I look at our last two games then I have to say that I'm very happy. I think we – in this one month – have reached a higher level. But to beat Bayern you have to be right on top of your game."
…increased confidence of his team: "I can't judge that. I've not been here that long but I can say that the players are confident. At the start I didn't have the impression that there was no confidence. I don't know what it was like before I started here and I can only say: Since I've been here, the players are confident – and they've shown it. It's also important that they are confident in the way they play – and they've shown that too."
…potentially helping out his former employers: "Yes, that's right – we can help Dortmund tomorrow but, above all, we can help the nice people who work here at Leverkusen. That's more important to me. We want to help ourselves and we can do that by having a good game."
Whether it's sport or his private live: Captain Edmond Tapsoba tells us his top three personal favourites in twelve categories in edition #56 of the Werkself Magazine. The defender had to answer as quickly as he reacts on the pitch. 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba!
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“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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