After last week's days without games or training, head coach Xabi Alonso welcomed a small group to training in a cool four degrees on Monday morning for the first session of the week. The Spaniard brought in a number of Bayer 04 youth players to fill out the group. Madi Monamay has already returned from international duty with the Belgium U18 side. The defender was on the winning side with Belgium against England and South Korea, both times on penalties, and he led the team out as captain against England.
Alonso particularly focused on passing and finishing in the first training session of the week. The 41-year-old manager was able to witness impressive attacking moves from Alejandro Grimaldo, Nathan Tella, Nadiem Amiri and Edmond Tapsoba. Patrik Schick, who completed the full session as he continues working on his comeback, looked sharp in front of goal as he converted a number of crosses.
The Bayer 04 squad will be putting in hard shifts over the next few days in intensive sessions ahead of the Bundesliga match at the weekend. Several Werkself players, including Granit Xhaka, Josip Stanisic, Adam Hlozek and Matej Kovar, are expected back in Leverkusen on Wednesday and they will then join in preparations for the away match in Wolfsburg. The remaining Werkself players on international duty will be back with the team towards the end of the week.
A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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