"It's been a long time for us without football," said U19 coach Sven Hübscher following the 75-minute first session of the New Year. "It's great to be back on the pitch."
The 42-year-old coach welcomed a new member of his coaching staff on Friday: The Spaniard Erik Roqueta, most recently head of the fitness section at Mexican top-flight side Chivas de Guadalajara, took charge of the running part of the opening session as the new fitness coach. Hübscher: "It's important for us to be able to bring in a man like Erik for the fitness area. The lads will be able to take a huge step forwards."
The first U19 training session was also attended by Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes and Thomas Eichin (head of the Performance Centre). In addition, Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane with his assistants Patrick Schnarwiler and Alberto Encinas also looked in after the final pre-match training session for the first team.
The next session for the eldest youth group at the Werkself is tomorrow (Saturday). "The first two days are for the lads to get used to the ball and the pitch again after a four-week break," explained Hübscher. After a day off on Sunday, "it will really get going again from Monday."
The first friendly for the U19s is on Saturday, 15 January, against the SC Fortuna Köln U23 team. The match against the Middle Rhine League side at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre kicks off at 11.00 CET. The first match in the U19 Bundesliga West is away to Borussia Dortmund on the first weekend in February.
The fourth European away trip of the season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 takes the Werkself to the Greek capital. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday seven in the UCL league phase. The match at the Karaiskakis Stadium is on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET). We'll be taking you on a trip to Athens and reporting on the Werkself close-up...
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A great honour for Bayer 04 Women's German international: as part of the 2025 Sports Awards, Carlotta Wamser entered her name into the City of Leverkusen's Golden Book. On Tuesday, she looked back on a special year in a talk in the Morsbroich Castle hall of mirrors.
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It was a disappointing night in Athens: The Werkself lost 2-0 away to Olympiacos on Matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. In a match that was intense and fiery from the outset, the high-pressing home side made the better start and took the lead through Costinha on two minutes. Although the Werkself had a number of chances to equalise, the clinical Greek side increased the lead to 2-0 shortly before half-time (45+1’). In the second half, Leverkusen once again gave their all and showed total commitment but, despite their best efforts, the Black and Reds were unable to break down the Olympiacos defence on the night.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Tonight, 20 January (kick-off: 22:00 local time/21:00 CET), Bayer 04 will not only face a familiar face in Panagiotis Retsos, but also an experienced and successful team in their Greek top-flight opponents. The Olympiacos midfield and forward line in particular are peppered with seasoned veterans from top European clubs - but even they will first have to find solutions against the Werkself defence that has recently performed with aplomb in the UCL. The matchday news.
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