
It does help that Bosz had all his players available again with the exception of long-term injuries Joel Pohjanpalo (rehab training after ankle injury) and Panos Retsos (rehab after muscle tendon injury to thigh) after Charles Aránguiz and Leon Bailey missed the first training session on Friday. The duo rejoined their team-mates on the training ground for the Sunday morning session.
While the 28-year-old Chilean only had his first session under the new head coach on Sunday due to private reasons, Bailey did train with the squad on Saturday after the Jamaican sat out the full training session on Friday. According to Bosz, the 21-year-old was feeling the effects of a long flight and suffering somewhat from the air conditioning. Therefore the decision was to take the precaution of Bailey returning to full training a day later.
The main focus for Bosz in the first few days is the improvement of fitness levels. "We've been working on stamina – albeit with the ball," said the Dutchman on Sunday. Using the ball is always important for him. Of equal significance for the 55 year-old: when the session on the training ground begins at 10.30 CET and it starts with 'football training': positional play, passing drills, tactical work etc. The warm-up routine is down to the players themselves – but obviously with the help of the fitness coaches. Either in the facilities at the BayArena or on the training ground.
One player completed his Sunday training in the gym. Karim Bellarabi had a slight problem with his back and had to work on his own. The 28 year-old should rejoin the rest of the Werkself squad on the training ground on Monday (14.30 CET).

Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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A rematch in Athens: On Wednesday, 18 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), the Werkself face Greek double winners Olympiacos for the second time this season at the Karaiskakis Stadium. After the encounter in the league phase, it's now time for the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-offs. Ahead of the game, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about how his side will approach the clash, while captain Robert Andrich explained how the team will try to dampen the atmosphere in the stadium tomorrow.
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With the much-celebrated 2-1 derby win against 1. FC Köln, the Bayer 04 Women underlined their credentials as one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Anyone wishing to support the Werkself in the stadium in the race for third place can now purchase tickets for the home match against FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Tickets are also still available for the upcoming clash against TSG Hoffenheim at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday, 22 February. The latest information at a glance.
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Let's give it our all one more time! Today, Tuesday 17 February (live on the VBL Twitch channel from 18:00 CET), the #B04eSports team play the remaining three preliminary round matches of the fifth and final showdown of the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. The Leverkusen console pros go up against 1. FC Nürnberg, 1. FC Magdeburg and Bayern Munich, aiming to secure their place in the offline knockout round and pick up valuable points for the overall table and the battle to get into the final event for the German Club Championship. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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