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 Leverkusen have extended the contract with Germany U19 international Montrell Culbreath. The attacking midfielder and right winger has penned a deal with the Bundesliga club that runs to 30 June 2030. Culbreath has played for the Werkself as a youth player since 2023. Last December, he scored his first Bundesliga goal for the Leverkusen first team in the Bayer 04 3-1 away win at RB Leipzig.
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The Werkself's 3-0 victory over Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League certainly left many happy faces: Malik Tillman was delighted with his brace, Robert Andrich with the clean sheet and coach Kasper Hjulmand with the "manner" of this significant home win. With an overwhelming superiority and over 75 per cent possession at times, Bayer 04 deserved their place in the UCL play-off round. They will face a familiar foe in February. The Werkself review.
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Werkself TV shows highlights of the 3-0 win against FC Villarreal on matchday 8 in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league phase...
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The Champions League journey continues! On the eighth and final matchday of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26, Bayer 04 secured their place in the play-offs with a commanding 3-0 win over Villarreal. Malik Tillman put in a mature and combative performance for Leverkusen, scoring a brace (12', 35') to make it 2-0 at the break, while Alejandro Grimaldo (57') and plenty of control of the game did the rest in the second half. The draw for the Werkself's next UCL opponents will take place on Friday 30 January at 12:00 CET.
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