The 2-0 defeat at home to Hertha Berlin is done and dusted. After a two-day break from training, head coach Heiko Herrlich held a double session for his players on Tuesday – the Werkself were greeted by cool temperatures and sunshine in both the morning and afternoon work-outs.
In addition to the skipper Lars Bender, who faces three weeks on the sidelines after suffering a muscle injury in the Cup game against Werder Bremen, Marlon Frey was also absent on Tuesday. The 21-year-old midfielder has has a thyroid problem that requires further investigation.
The afternoon session saw 14 outfield players take part – Dominik Kohr, Jonathan Tah and Sven Bender had individual sessions in the Werkstatt.
Ahead of Saturday's clash with HSV, Herrlich and his players have an open session tomorrow. It is set to start at 10.30 CET, Bayer 04 TV will provide a live stream from the training ground from 11.15 CET (on Facebook). The training sessions on Thursday and Friday will be held behind closed doors.
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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Newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg will begin the 2026/27 season as Bundesliga club number 59. The Saarland club start their first Bundesliga campaign at home to the Werkself on Saturday, 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST) at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, which is currently being rebuilt. For one Leverkusen player in the ‘Elv’ line-up, the clash will be a special reunion. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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