For head coach Roger Schmidt it’s a trip down memory lane. He played for Verl from 1995 to 2002, was the team captain scoring 54 goals in 205 games and later he went on to coach the the side. Schmidt started his coaching career at Delbrück in 2004 and he led DSC into the DFB Cup. There will certainly be a party atmosphere in Verl on Friday night as the fixture is the opening match at the club’s new home with a capacity of 5,000.
And the Werkself certainly provide attractive opposition for the occasion as Champions League participants with Roger Schmidt returning to his roots. “This match against Bayer 04 is a great honour to us. We’re still in contact with Roger Schmidt and we’re looking forward to the game,” said Verl’s coach Andreas Golombek who ended last season with his team in tenth place in the Regional League West.
The Friday morning training session at the BayArena and lunch will be followed by the Werkself heading to Eastern Westphalia where the team will be based at the Hotel Klosterpforte in Marienfeld. The squad have three training sessions there on Saturday and Sunday morning and after the match at Delbrück in the afternoon it’s back to Leverkusen.
Cup tie against Hauenstein on a Sunday
The first competitive match for the Werkself in the 2016/17 campaign has been confirmed: Bayer 04 play the First Round DFB tie in Pirmasens against SC Hauenstein on Sunday 21 August at 15.30 CET.
Following the international break, the Bayer 04 women’s team face their next head-to-head clash in the race for a top spot in the Bundesliga. In Saturday’s home match (14:00 CEST), the fourth-placed side host third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is well aware of the great opportunity this presents for his team.
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Bayer 04 make their first trip to Poland for over 30 years as they face Lech Poznan on Matchday 2 of the league phase in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday, but the team will be preparing for the action on Wednesday with training, travel and pre-match press conferences. We’ll bring you all the latest news here…
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Bayer 04 remain unbeaten in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. After winning the opener against NK Celje, the Werkself followed that up on Thursday night with a 4–0 win away at the Polish champions Lech Poznan. Patrik Schick, who came on as a substitute early in the game, scored twice from the penalty spot, and Malik Tillman also found the back of the net before half-time. The second half was a more subdued affair, with Ibrahim Maza scoring late on to seal the final 4-0 scoreline.
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Since 2023, Bayer 04 has been organising regular free goalkeeping coach training sessions at the BayArena. As in previous years, the event attracted enormous interest in mid-October 2026. Around 140 participants – mostly goalkeeping coaches from the region, but also team and academy coaches as well as association staff – came to the Werkself stadium to gain expert knowledge on the subject of zonal marking. Through a theoretical keynote presentation and a practical session on the pitch, the participants gained insights into goalkeeping and goalkeeper training at Bayer 04.
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