19 Werkself pros were available to Heiko Herrlich in the first session on Friday morning but the boss was till without absentees Lukas Hradecky, Charles Aránguiz, Panos Retsos, Joel Pohjanpalo, Dominik Kohr, and the two World Cup participants Julian Brandt and Tin Jedvaj. The head coach brought in three U19 players to boost the numbers: Ayman Azhil, Jan Boller and Adrian Stanilewicz had the chance to train with the first team.
Over-punctual - ten minutes ahead of the set time - the first players went onto the training ground, including birthday boy Wendell, who was serenaded by his team-mates on his 25th birthday. The Brazilian was accompanied by fellow countryman new signing Paulinho, who joined the first team squad for the first time on the training ground. After the warm-up routine, he went onto a neighbouring pitch to carry on working on his own. "We can't forget that Paulinho broke his arm in March and hasn't touched a ball in training since then. We don't want to take any risks and we''ll introduce him step by step," said Heiko Herrlich after the session. The 18-year-old will not feature in tomorrow's friendly at Siegen: "He is due to train with the team in a week's time and only then can we thinking about playing him."
While Leon Bailey, Karim Bellarabi and Co. focused on working with the ball, passing drills and moves, their team-mate Dominik Kohr was not available but Herrlich is expecting him to return. Last Tuesday, the 24-year-old slightly twisted his knee. "His knee was sore so we rested him yesterday and the day before. Dominik had treatment again today and it's all looking good," said Herrlich. "We're very optimistic he will be able to play for a half against Siegen."
The Werkself coach also offered a prognosis on Charles Aránguiz (rehab after knee problems): "We've increased the therapy to eradicate the pain. That means he cannot be subjected to too much work at the moment. He should be able to join in at the training camp next week."
A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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Bayer 04 produced a dominant and impressive 4-0 win over Union Berlin as they picked up three points in their first home game of the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign. Exequiel Fernández opened the scoring after only 41 seconds, with Facundo Medina doubling the lead before the half-hour mark. Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza continued the procession in the second period, in which Moussa Diaby came on for his first Leverkusen appearance for over three years.
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