A total of 25 players took part in the final pre-match training session on Wednesday morning ahead of the first chance to win the Europa League group. Charles Aránguiz, Lucas Alario, Patrik Schick and Karim Bellarabi were all involved at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium after missing recent matches.
The only players missing were the injured Julian Baumgartlinger and Mitchel Bakker plus Kerem Demirbay, who is unable to play on Thursday due to a red card in the last Europa League match against Real Betis (4-0). The playmaker, who suffered a blow to his ribs at the weekend in the 1-0 win against VfL Bochum, completed a rehab session at the gym at the BayArena.
Agenda item number one on the pitch at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium was the obligatory birthday greeting for Lukas Hradecky. The 32-year-old Werkself captain was welcomed by a ‘guard of honour’ of his teammates. Then the players in white went on to complete a warm-up routine with fitness coach Bob Schoos before working with the ball.
Kerem Demirbay was shown a red card in the final minutes of the fourth group match against Real Betis at the start of November. There is talk of the midfielder having to serve a three-match ban in the Europa League. Bayer 04 are in contact with UEFA and are looking to achieve a reduction in the suspension. As stated, Demirbay will definitely miss the game against Celtic.
The Celtic group land in Germany in the early evening on Wednesday and head straight to the team hotel; the final pre-match training session and press conference for Joe Hart and Co. were held in Scotland.
Coach Ange Postecoglou praised the quality of the Werkself on Wednesday. “They are a good team who who have hit form in the league. We know what they can do and what we will face. They are a Champions League team,” said the Celtic boss.
Lukas Hradecky celebrated his 32nd birthday one day ahead of the Europa League clash. The Werkself goalkeeper and captain of the Werkself signed for Bayer 04 from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018. The Finn has made 107 Bundesliga appearances for the Black and Reds to date and he became captain of the team this season. Many happy returns, Lukas!
The former Leverkusen assistant coach Hendrik ‘Hendrie’ Krüzen celebrates his 57th birthday today (Wednesday). The Dutchman joined Bayer 04 with former Werkself head coach Peter Bosz just before Christmas 2018 and was in the Black and Red dugout for 108 games. The Dutch coaches ended their time at Leverkusen in March of this year and Krüzen and Co. are now at the top French club Lyon. Happy birthday, Hendrie.
After back-to-back away defeats, Bayer 04 Women now face their penultimate home fixture of 2026 as they welcome Hamburg to the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Saturday (14:00 CET) seeking three important points in the Google Pixel Bundesliga.
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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 what matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 0-1 loss against Olympique Marseille on Matchday 4 of the 2026/27 Europa League season...
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After three consecutive wins in the Europa League, the Werkself suffered their first European defeat of the season against Marseille. In a first half with few chances, the Black and Reds gradually gained more and more control of the game, but were unable to convert that advantage into goals. Miguel Gutiérrez came closest to putting Leverkusen ahead with a shot that hit the crossbar. In the second half, the French side produced clinical finishing, with Amine Gouiri scoring from a counter-attack to make it 1-0 (77’). Right up to the final whistle, the Werkself threw everything forward in search of an equaliser, but were unable to find a way back into the game.
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Bayer 04 are riding a wave of success on the European stage: After three wins from their first three games and as the only team yet to concede a goal, the Werkself sit second in the table in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. With another three points in their first-ever competitive match against Olympique Marseille on Thursday night, 5 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Bayer 04 could leap to the top of the table. Meanwhile, the French side are riding the wave of a winning streak in Ligue 1, but are yet to pick up any points in the Europa League. For one Werkself player, Thursday night will mark a reunion with his former team-mates. Today’s matchday news.
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