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.
Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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