After yesterday's return of Julian Brandt, Kai Havertz and Jonathan Tah increased the training group to twelve, head coach Heiko Herrlich welcomed back Issac Kiese Thelin and Jakub Bednarczyk on Wednesday afternoon. The other international players Charles Aránguiz, Lukas Hradecky, Aleksandar Dragovic, Tin Jedvaj and Paulinho are expected back tomorrow. And the skipper Lars Bender is also due to return to full training after training on his own in the last open session of the week as he had done in the days before. "We hope he can help us on Saturday. But we'll have to see how he gets on in training," said Heiko Herrlich. The same could apply to Charles Aránguiz who did play for 45 minutes with Chile on Tuesday. The Bayer 04 head coach is hoping the 29-year-old will be option for the trip to Munich.
Lukas Hradecky has also gained match practice over the past week. After the 28-year-old keeper missed most of the pre-season and the start of the league campaign due to an operation on his jaw in July, he played two full games for Finland on Saturday and Tuesday – and he was unbeatable. Goalkeeping coach David Thiel, who watched Lukas at the games, confirmed the recent positive impressions. There is little standing in the way of a Werkself debut for the new signing on Saturday as Herrlich revealed after the Wednesday training session.
Ahead of the game against FC Bayern, the 46-year-old coach has organised four training sessions for Thursday and Friday – all are to be held behind closed doors.
Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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The Bayer 04 Women’s squad for the coming season is continuing to take shape: Centre-back Emily Wallrabenstein has moved to Leverkusen from Eintracht Frankfurt’s reserve team, who play in the Women’s Bundesliga 2. The 19-year-old has penned a contract until 30 June 2028.
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Bayern 04 Women have confirmed another summer signing, with midfielder Paulina Platner moving to Leverkusen from SGS Essen. The 20-year-old has signed a two-year contract with the Werkself.
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