The Werkself started Sunday with a training session in Leverkusen. While part of the squad began with a session inside the BayArena, the rest of the players were on the training ground. Returnees from Euro 2024 and Copa América returned to the training ground with an audience of several hundred Bayer 04 fans. The Germany trio of Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah and Robert Andrich plus Switzerland's Granit Xhaka and Piero Hincapie, who played for Ecuador in the Copa América, were back on the training ground.
Head coach Xabi Alonso and his coaching staff put the newcomers and their teammates through their paces with a session starting with a range of strength and stability drills – with and without the ball. That was followed by short-passing moves. The session ended after an hour. Wirtz and Co. were happy to meet all requests for autographs and selfies. After a communal lunch, the group set off for Donaueschingen.
21 Werkself players plus eight youth team players and the coaching and other staff arrived at Der Öschberghof hotel late in the afternoon (see squad report). Having arrived at their destination, the German double winners were greeted with an excellent reception from several hundred friends under blue skies.
A traditional reception was provided by a group playing local music. Alonso was presented with a Black Forest cuckoo clock and Jonas Hofmann accepted a large Black Forest gateaux on behalf of the whole squad – with smaller versions of the famous cake being presented to today's birthday boys Niklas Lomb and goalkeeping coach David Thiel.
A number of photos were taken with a woman wearing traditional Black Forest attire. Wirtz and Co. signed autographs and posed for selfies with the fans before heading off for a communal evening meal. Several players ended the day playing table tennis in the team area at the hotel with some exciting matches.
Alonso will lead a training session with his players tomorrow morning on the neighbouring training ground of SV Aasen. The Werkself will make the two and a half kilometre journey from the hotel on bicycles. The session begins at 10.30 CEST and is an open to Bayer 04 fans.
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Just 11 days after their last encounter in the Bundesliga, Bayer 04 Women meet Hamburger SV again. On Sunday (15:00 CET), the two teams will be battling it out at the Volksparkstadion for a place in the DFB Cup quarter-finals. Coach Roberto Pätzold is aware of his team's status as favourites against the promoted outfit - and knows what it will come down to against the awkward opponents.
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Bayer 04 Women goalkeeper Charlotte Voll has been hit by injury again. The 26-year-old suffered an acromioclavicular joint separation in her left shoulder in the latter stages of the Bundesliga match at SC Freiburg on Monday and is set to be sidelined for a number of months. She underwent successful surgery in Düsseldorf on Friday.
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Like they did in the first showdown of the VBL Club Championship by WOW, which the Leverkusen gamers won in spectacular style, Marc and Sean Landwehr also started the second showdown with six points by beating TSG Hoffenheim and VfL Bochum 1848, last-16 participants of the first showdown. The #B04eSports team suffered defeat to SV Darmstadt 98 and Hertha BSC. Meanwhile, Keanu Senkbeil made his VBL CC debut in the clash with the capital club.
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