Bosz is happy his players were able to switch off for a few days over Christmas and New Year. “It’s also good for clearing your mind,” said the Dutchman who was pleased to welcome his players back to the training pitch at Leverkusen: “That’s important. We’re flying out to the training camp tomorrow and then we only have a couple of days before the Bundesliga gets going again.” The Black and Reds are away to SC Paderborn 07 on Sunday 19 January (kick-off: 18.00 CET).
In the first training session of the new year, Bosz and Co. focussed passing and shooting after the warm-up routine with and without the ball. It was clear to see that the Werkself players were happy to be back on the pitch. 17 outfield players and four goalkeepers took part in the session including Lars Bender and Mitchell Weiser who completed a first full training session after returning from injury.
The South Americans Lucas Alario, Charles Aránguiz, Wendell, new signing Exequiel Palacios plus the Jamaican Leon Bailey were absent. “They’re flying straight to the training camp and will join us on Sunday,” said Bosz who is looking to mainly use the time in Spain “to talk to the players a lot and prepare well. Most of the players know our style of play very well but we want to keep on working on it and make slight adjustments. We can improve in all areas and if we can get a bit better across the board then can be worth a lot put together.”
Paulinho will not travel to Spain. The Brazilian striker is with his country’s Olympic team preparing for the qualifying tournament in Tokyo from 18 January to 9 February.
Asked about the winter signing Palacios, who will train with the Werkself squad for the first time in La Manga, Bosz explained: “He will get time. It will be important for him to get used to Europe, Germany, the Bundesliga, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the language – those are lots of changes. We saw a similar situation with Moussa Diaby where it also took a bit longer.”
After the training session, Bayer 04 head coach talked about a possible contract extension with his current deal due to end in the summer: “Since I started here, I’ve always said I’m very happy. It’s fun working here. We’ll talk at the training camp. This issue doesn’t need to take months.”
A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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Bayer 04 produced a dominant and impressive 4-0 win over Union Berlin as they picked up three points in their first home game of the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign. Exequiel Fernández opened the scoring after only 41 seconds, with Facundo Medina doubling the lead before the half-hour mark. Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza continued the procession in the second period, in which Moussa Diaby came on for his first Leverkusen appearance for over three years.
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