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.
Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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Moussa Diaby is back! In his first interview since returning to Bayer Leverkusen, Moussa Diaby talks, amongst other things, about how it feels to be back in Leverkusen, as well as his connection to the city, the club and the fans.
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