In addition to three goalkeepers, Peter Bosz had 17 outfield players (16 pros plus Jan Boller from the U19s) at his disposal. In addition to long-term injuries Joel Pohjanpalo and Panos Retsos, the head coach had to manage without Wendell plus Sven and Lars Bender who completed individual sessions. Bosz is not unduly concerned regarding the Bayern match: "I don't think that will be a problem." Also, Charles Aránguiz only completed part of the session with the team on the training ground before disappearing into the BayArena with the fitness coaches. "It was an intensive training session today – that wasn't suitable for everybody," said the coach.
The session on the pitch started for the Werkself, including birthday boy Sam Schreck, with a short passing game in two groups before Bosz extended the pitches for a one-touch session with his players. That was followed by short sprint drills, which Kevin Volland, Karim Bellarabi and Tin Jedvaj sat out, and a practice match at the end.. Peter Bosz stretched his players in an eight-a-side game on half a pitch. He played 5×8 minutes with exactly two minutes in between for a breather. "That's important for fitness levels," said the 55-year-old before the last short game as motivation.
There will be no full training session on Wednesday. The sessions on Thursday and Friday will be held behind closed doors as preparations continue in earnest for the game against Bayern. At the BayArena on Saturday, Bosz is expecting "a good game. Two teams face each other who like to get on the front foot. That’s always good for the fans," he said. "Bayern have to win – and they also want to win," said the Dutchman about the team currently lying second in the table, six points behind Borussia Dortmund ahead of matchday 20. "If it's possible, I'll do my former club a favour on Saturday," added Bosz with a wink of the eye. "But in case we win, we're primarily doing it for ourselves of course.”
Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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Former Bundesliga and Germany keeper Manfred Manglitz, who was promoted to the Oberliga West with Bayer 04 in 1962, passed away on Monday at the age of 86.
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Justine Brandau and Lobke Loonen joined the Bayer 04 Women’s squad in quick succession this summer. The two Dutch players have been friends since their youth days, and are now playing for the same club for the first time. In an interview at the training camp in Rieden, Brandau and Loonen talk, amongst other things, about their experiences as opponents in the Vrouwen Eredivisie, the dynamic within their new team and their first few weeks in Leverkusen.
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