
And they also appear to be getting on really well off the pitch. In a photo shoot for the new Bayer 04 catalogue the strike duo posed for a number of photos and enjoyed every minute of it. At the end they went on their mobile phones to send a message to Werkself fans across the world from the training camp in Zell am See-Kaprun.
>> Click here for the new official merchandise
Goals galore in practice match
Volland and Chicharito looked sharp on the training ground before the photo shoot. A practice match with two 30-minute halves at the Alois Latini Stadium they played up front in the team in red training tops and managed to score a goal or two. The friendly match against Regional League side SC Teutonia on Saturday night was abandoned on twelve minutes due to a thunderstorm.
>> The practice match was shown live on Facebook and is available on demand <<
All clear for Wendell
There was a scare at the end of the first training session on Sunday. Brazilian defender Wendell fell awkwardly and had to limp off the pitch. That was a reminder of his serious injury at the end of April but he was given the all clear in the afternoon. He took it easy in the second session working on his own but he should return to full training today – the same applies to Julian Baumgartlinger who has yet to train with the Werkself in his own country due to a groin injury.
Leno meets Özcan
His fellow countryman Ramazan Özcan also missed out for a few days with a slight groin problem but ‘Rambo’ was almost fully fit again on Sunday so he was able to train with new team-mate Bernd Leno for the first time. Leno returned from holiday at the weekend after the European Championships.
Black and red cable car
The club colours of black and red are a common sight around the team hotel in Kaprun and the training ground in Zell am See. A valley station on the Areitbahn saw Stefan Kießling board a black and red car with a Bayer 04 logo last year as one of the first to make the journey up the mountain.
#B04inAustria - “What does Wuchtel mean?”
Anybody looking to improve their knowledge of Austrian German can follow a beginners language course with Julian Baumgartlinger and Rambo Özcan. Every day, the two new signings introduce fans to a new word commonly used in Austria online under the hashtag #B04inAustria . You can also follow #B04inAustria to keep up-to-date with the movements of the Werkself in SalzburgerLand. It’s worth a look. There is also a video message from Chicharito and Kevin Volland.


The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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