The team led by Hannes Wolf have 04 fixtures left this season. Four games to qualify for Europe. The starter is the home match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, 24 April (kick-off: 18.30 CET). In the week after #B04SGE, the Werkself do not have a game as the DFB Cup semi-finals are being played on 30 April and 1 May.
The final three Bundesliga matches for the Black and Reds will all be played on Saturday afternoons at 15.30 CEST – under the strictest quarantine regulations, as the German Football League (DFL) announced on Thursday. As expected, the league association has decided on so-called quarantined training camps for the teams in the top two divisions.
That means all 36 professional clubs have to be in self-isolation for the last two matchdays from 12 May. For the Werkself, this measure affects the home game against Union Berlin (15 May) plus the final crunch encounter in Dortmund (22 May).
Before moving into the training camps, all players, coaches and staff must go into "quasi-quarantine" from 3 May. The persons affected will "only be able to be at home or on the training ground or at the stadium," according to the DFL. Further information on the quarantine measures of the league association is available HERE.
A special memory of the 3-0 derby win at the weekend could soon be hanging up in your home. In April you can make a donation to the Wildpark Reuschenberg under the motto #GemeinsamfürLEV (Together for LEVERKUSEN). As a thank-you to everyone supporting the cause, Bayer 04 are raffling the shirt worn by Jonathan Tah in the home game against FC Köln. HERE is the link to the donation site.
As expected, the state football associations in western Germany have cancelled the 2020/21 season with immediate effect due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, it was decided not to make any awards this season. That means no champions and no teams promoted or relegated.
The decisions of the Middle Rhine Football Association (FVM) and the Western German Football Association (WDFV) affect all Bayer 04 youth teams from the U15s upwards. The Werkself U15s 'end' their season in third place with 13 points from six games. The U13 and U12 teams are unbeaten and top of their respective youth cup competitions.
The German Football Association (DFB) have yet to make an announcement about the U19 and U17 leagues.
Following the narrow 3-2 defeat for the U19s in the friendly against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, part of the oldest youth team will go through stamina performance diagnostics in the middle of the week. These will be held in the Werkstatt and effects players born in 2003 and 2004. U19 head coach Sven Hübscher is hoping this measure will provide a more detailed insight into the current fitness levels of the younger U19 players.
Robin Dutt is back in the coaching game. The 56-year-old, head coach at the Werkself from July 2011 to April 2012, will take over at Wolfsberger AC next season. The job at the Austrian top-flight club is his first abroad. Dutt is the successor to Ferdinand Feldhofer. The Cologne-born coach was in the Bayer 04 dugout for 37 games in 2011/12.
The group stages for the football tournament in the Summer Olympics have been confirmed. Germany are in Group D with Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire and Saudi Arabia. The venue is Yokohama. The start for the team under coach Stefan Kuntz is the big match against Brazil on 22 July. The final will be played in Tokyo on 7 August. Kuntz has to register his squad by 30 June.
Two Werkself players, Lars Bender and Julian Brandt, were at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Sven Bender was also there but he played for Borussia Dortmund at the time. Germany reached the final five years ago but lost out to the hosts 5-4 on penalties – and now there is the chance to take revenge for the defeat in the final.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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