As large areas of the training ground were frozen due to ground frost, the majority of the session was moved to the neighbouring Ulrich Haberland Stadium. With supporters looking on, the Werkself appeared highly motivated in spite of the freezing temperatures. Split up into a total of six teams, two at a time played each other on a small pitch while the other groups were able to take a quick break. And there were lots of sprints, lots of challenges, lots of goals – for both goalkeepers and outfield players- it was a question of getting stuck in to be in the right mood for the important clash with sixth-placed Wolfsburg. "We can all see the table and I'd be lying if I said the situation is easy. But we also know we can move up the table quickly," said Sven Bender before adding: "But we also need to win the games to do that. I'm sure the results will come if we can build on our performance on Saturday."
In the best case scenario, that will happen against Wolfsburg on Saturday. The team from Lower Saxony are just four points ahead of the Werkself in a Europa League spot. In spite of the situation, Peter Bosz was not keen to describe the fixture as a crucial match on Tuesday: "All games in the second half of the season are important – and a lot can happen in the remaining 15 matches." He remains very impressed with the training sessions. The players are increasingly taking on board his ideas. "I had a good feeling after the game against Gladbach. I've had another look at the match and have to say that our performance was even better than I thought on Saturday," said the 55-year-old. Nevertheless, there is plenty still to do.
Bosz is encouraged with the fitness of the Werkself squad. "We made an incredible number of short sprints against Gladbach and I've never seen that in a team before. That also shows the players understand what we want and that they all have the right mentality for the job at hand. That is a really important insight," said the Dutchman.
There is no full training session on Wednesday with Thursday and Friday dedicated to preparations for Saturday's match that take place behind closed doors.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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